Tenshi no Kokoro
by Relinquished
Summary: Sequel to 'Judgement' Chimera has been defeated and the Angel has emerged. But now the Angel seeks only to destroy evil. Seto and Ryuuji, aided by a reborn Marik, must overcome it to find their lover. Mumbleshipping, Darkshipping COMPLETE!
1. The Life After

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Tenshi no Kokoro

Disclaimer: I don't own YGO! Bloody hell, do we have to go through this every _fucking_ time? YGO does _not_ belong to me, Seto, Ryou and Ryuuji are _not_ together (damn!) and so therefore I DON'T BLOODY OWN IT! This will be the ONLY disclaimer I'm writing for this fic, so don't you DARE say I didn't!

Summary: Chimera has been defeated and the Angel has emerged. But now the Angel seeks only to destroy evil. Seto and Ryuuji, aided by a reborn Marik, must overcome it to find their lover. S/R/R, YY/YB, YM/R

Warnings: eh . . . I don't really know at this stage.

Author's Notes: The long awaited sequel to 'Judgement'! I guess you've all been waiting a long time for this, ne? Well, my friend at school basically threatened me with a painful death if I didn't post this up soon. But I was going to put this on hold until I got my next fic 'By Moonlight' up and running. Then again, the characters were a bit OOC.

So anyway, I hope you enjoy the sequel!

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Chapter One: New Troubles

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"There have been seven reports of missing persons over the past two weeks, four of which were anonymous. No one knows what has happened to the missing people, all middle-class business people . . ."

The television was switched off at the click of the remote. All people present in the room sighed and exchanged worried looks. There had been people going missing for months now, all of them rather unpopular in society. Many people saw this as strange, since there hadn't been such a case of disappearance before.

"He's really doing this seriously."

"Of course he is. It's his job."

"But there have been _twenty_ disappearances since he's come back into town."

"That's been two months."

"Averaging ten per month."

"Pretty efficient, if you ask me."

"_Hiei!_"

"Kidding."

Hiei smirked and dodged a cushion thrown at his face by an annoyed Kurama. The two of them, Seto and Ryuuji were sitting in the library around the in-built database used especially for TC purposes. The Kaiba Mansion had all the necessary facilities for them to use in any situation, which came in handy.

Kurama looked around at them all.

He and Hiei had moved into the Kaiba Mansion eight months ago, when they had taken up the responsibility of two trainees put on them. Ryuuji would have taken the two from them, but they had all decided that it was for the best if Kurama and Hiei kept them.

Seto and Ryuuji, the last two Elites of TC, had changed over the last eight months. They had lost their partner and love in the last major assignment Gaea had assigned them. Kurama had been afraid that they would never recover from the loss. Ryuuji was planning to move back to America afterwards, but then a new incident occurred that prevented him from doing so.

This 'incident' was what they were discussing now. Bakura Ryou, the partner Seto and Ryuuji had lost, was back. But instead of rejoining TC and living with them, Ryou had started to attack those in the world who were evil or had malicious intent. He had told them, once, that he was the Judge of all that was good and bad in the world. They could not stop him from doing what was right.

__

This is my purpose. I was reborn to finish off what I had started. You cannot stop me, because I will only have to kill you as well. The Gods have Judged you to be innocent, but should anything occur, I will take action against you.

"He cannot control the Angel that resides within him," Ryuuji said. "He has no choice but to do what the Gods have sent him to do."

"As long as the Angel is in control, he won't know what he's doing," Seto added, glaring at the blank television screen. "There have been times when he had control of his body and mind, but those are rare. If we could talk to him at one of those times . . ."

"We can't afford 'ifs', Kaiba," Hiei snapped at his former trainer. "Time is wasting. Sooner or later, people_ will_ find out about TC, especially if things like this is happening on a day to day basis!"

"Do you have any better ideas, Hiei?"

"DAMARE!" Kurama shouted.

The two glared at each other angrily before turning away. Ryuuji and Kurama sighed in exasperation. The two were so much alike that they fought. Some would think that two of the same people would get along well, but two dominant, aggressive and non-too-cooperative people was hell to live with.

--------

"Tadaima."

"Okaerinasai, Yami."

Yami kissed his lover as Anubis came out to meet him. They had been put on probation by the Council at their Judgement and received human forms. They were now part of the human police force, under close observation by TC agents who had infiltrated the system.

"I really don't like the fact that they keep tabs on us like this," Bakura muttered. They went into the kitchen. "It's so unnerving."

"Well, we're on probation and if we pass this, then we're free."

"I know that, but doesn't mean I like being pegged down like a runaway animal." He set down two drinks. "Here, you're tired. That stupid department you're in works you like a horse."

"Malik and Marik had to go to school though," Yami snickered. "Would you have wanted to go to school instead?"

"Nah. Stupid teachers are worse than the police chief. Never liked school."

They drank quietly, worn to the bone. Ever since their rebirth – and Malik, Marik and Ishizu's – they had retained none of their previous powers. Well, almost none, because they were still able to defend themselves again weaker level demons and other spirits. Finding this extremely irking and really annoying, Anubis frequently growled and complained, knowing that, somewhere nearby, a TC agent would hear him. Not that this would do them any good.

"Have you seen the boy lately?"

"Ryou? The Angel? No."

"Hmm . . ." Yami studied his drink. "I thought I should apologise for what I did to him back in the Otherworld. I mean, it would only be right. We don't want him coming after us, should he think to do so."

"Do you think he would?" Bakura stared at his lover.

"I . . . don't know," Yami confessed. "Really, though, I think I should."

"You're getting soft, Pharaoh."

"Damare, Tomb Robber."

They grinned at each other. Once, back in their old lives, they hated each other. Yami had been the almighty Pharaoh and Anubis had been the lowly tomb robber. They were on opposite ends of society. Sometimes, out of good fun, they still referred to each other by their former titles. It somewhat irked but amused them both greatly.

"Let's call up the others tonight."

--------

At school, the next day, Seto slipped away from the others as they entered the school premises. He didn't want to face them at the moment, content to drown in his own thoughts rather than talk. This was something he and Ryuuji didn't share, as he found out after Ryou left them. One of them liked to talk about anything and everything, while the other left everything inside.

He found this habit of Ryuuji's irritating and yet oddly comforting at the same time. At least, when the game creator talked, he could temporarily forget about his problems and be distracted from his well-hidden pain.

Somehow he needed to have a serious talk to Ryou. It had been almost a year since their last conversation and he wasn't exaggerating. Ryou had been back at school and they had never properly talked without the albino escaping him before they had exchanged more than twenty words.

"Kaiba, ohayou."

Marik was sitting underneath a tree, reading a book. Seto nodded to him in greeting, wandering over. Before he could find Ryou, he could afford to talk to someone who was – or had been – closely related to him. Marik Ishtar was a reformed, former leeching demon who had been pardoned by the Council of the Gods and was put on probation in the human world.

"Marik, have you seen Ryou?"

"Iie, I haven't." Marik closed his book. "Ryou's been pretty hard to trace. I mean, I transferred in with him, but I haven't seen a hair of him since then. He's been avoiding all of us."

"You've heard the news about the disappearances, haven't you?"

The blonde frowned and nodded. They both suspected that Ryou was connected to those disappearances. At first, Seto and Ryuuji had thought that Marik would know about what Ryou did outside of school, but it turned out that the blonde knew about as much as they did. Ryou had hidden himself from everyone who he had associated with before.

"I was thinking of talking to him about it," Marik admitted. "But, like I said, he's hard to pin down."

"That's why we have to find a way." Seto clenched his fists. "We could ask around about where he goes every recess and lunch. It might give us some clues as to what he does."

"I'll admit that it's true, but if you and I both can't track him, how do we suppose those others would be able to?" Marik sighed. "I know about the powers you Chosen have. That guy, Hiei, he's able to trace any source of magic, isn't he? Well, if it were so simple that normal people could have found Ryou, then why haven't _we_ found him already?"

He had a point, though Seto was reluctant to admit it. As Chosen, they were superhumanly gifted in many areas. What normal people could do well, they could do ten times better. If they couldn't accomplish something, no one else would be able to either. The thought alone was depressing.

"What if . . . what if we're thinking about this too complicated?" he asked slowly. This hadn't occurred to him before. "Maybe we were thinking in too complex ways about how he's been hiding himself. He might be in ordinary places and we don't even know it."

"Not everything is like a mystery novel, Kaiba," Marik said.

"No, I'm serious. Maybe he's been in school ever since. Or he's in the common places we've been overlooking."

"I dunno, but you may have something there."

--------

Ryuuji opened his locker and a whole bundle of letters fell out. He sighed and bent over to pick them up. Love letters. With a disgusted look, he gathered them up and dumped them in the nearest rubbish bin. Those girls could hang themselves for all he cared.

Pinned to the door of his locker was a photo. A photo of him and Ryou, to be exact, one which Mokuba had taken without his knowledge. He had come across it months ago, when sifting through the photo albums back at the Kaiba Mansion. Mokuba insisted that he kept the photograph and he had done so, putting in a place where he would be able to see it.

In the photo, both he and Ryou wore bright, genuine smiles. It had been taken during the two months before Ryou's first disappearance, before he had been captured by Marik and after Mokuba had been poisoned. The four of them – Seto, Ryou, Mokuba and himself – had gone to the amusement park for the day. The photo was when he and Ryou were coming out of the roller coaster ride and he was jokingly play-acting a particular scene in the ride.

__

Damn, I miss him again, he cursed. _But I know I shouldn't give up that easily._

He took out the books he needed for the next period and closed his locker with a sigh. Things were so lonely without Ryou. It didn't mean he didn't enjoy Seto's company, but it just wasn't the same. Seto was different to Ryou. He didn't like the CEO in _that_ way, the way he felt about Ryou.

So instead, when they were at school, he hung around Hiei and Kurama more often than not. They were a source of comfort and distraction to him. Along with Jounouchi and Yugi, he found he could easily numb the pain and loneliness. They were further down the corridor now, at their own lockers, talking and chattering like nothing was wrong.

But they all knew that something was wrong with both the CEO and the game creator. Ryuuji acted as if he had talked about all his problems, making them sound convincing so as to not worry the others, but Seto didn't have that habit. He would bottle things up and bury himself in work or another obsession.

"Ryuuji-sama, are you coming?" Kurama called.

"Kurama, I _told_ you to stop calling me '-sama'," he sighed. "People talk about it already. Just either call me Ryuuji or, as Yugi-kun and Jounouchi-kun does, call me Otogi-kun."

"Hai, Otogi-kun."

He was silently glad that Kurama had picked the latter way of addressing him. If the redhead had chosen to call him Ryuuji, then the game creator would have suffered another pang of remembrance. The redhead reminded him of Ryou, with his quiet and polite ways and likeable disposition. It figured, since Kurama had once been Ryou's student, but the likeness was uncanny.

"Ja, iku yo!" Yugi cheered, practically skipping away.

"I can't believe he looks forward to lessons," Hiei muttered.

"I DON'T!" Yugi yelled back. "I JUST THOUGHT YOU GUYS LOOKED TOO DULL! CHEER UP GUYS! LIFE SHOULD BE FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!"

The ones, who were left behind, sweatdropped. Kurama gave a quiet laugh of amusement at his student's antics. They followed him down the corridor.

--------

Ryou clutched his arms, fingernails digging into the flesh as he fought the pain. He fought back a cry, sweat cumulating on his forehead. The cold fire spread through his entire form, engulfing every nerve and sense within. His vision was blurry as he struggled.

__

It's no use, the voice inside his mind whispered. _Give me dominance._

"Iie!" he gasped, falling to his knees. "I can't – you – harm people . . ."

He was in a deserted classroom. There wasn't a single soul around, since this classroom had fallen into disuse for a few years.

__

Give me control, the voice continued, more firmly. _There is work to be done._

The world fell into darkness as he felt his control slipping away.

--------

The room was dark. Sometime in the last five minutes, the power in the building had been cut. A man sat at his desk, trying to find a torch or any source of light, failing miserably. He looked up, startled, at a fluttering of what sounded like wings.

"Dare ka?" he called.

__

I've found you . . .

A cold feeling, like he had been soaked in icy water, came over him. He shivered. What was going on? Or maybe his conscience was just getting to him. He managed a weak laugh. Oh yeah, his conscience decided to kick in _now_, after he had committed the crime he was so afraid of being caught for. He was being stupid.

__

You're a cheat and a fraud. Face the wrath of the Gods' Judgement.

Now this was not funny. He didn't think his conscience would be saying things like _that_ to him. Consciences usually said things along the lines of: 'you shouldn't be doing this' or 'it'll be unfair to do this'. So if this was his conscience, then why did it say such strange things?

"Kimi dare ka?" he yelped, now frantic. "Whoever you are, you shouldn't be here!"

__

Oh really?

Behind him, two strong hands clamped around his neck. He choked and tried to turn around, to no avail. The grip around his neck was like a vice and he couldn't remove it. His head was throbbing and his vision swam in and out as his oxygen supply was cut.

__

The Gods don't look kindly on sinners like you, a voice breathed in his ear.

He made a choking sound, feeling strangely detached and light-headed. Another hand rested on his forehead. It was freezing cold, the same feeling he had before, as if he were drowning in ice-cold water. The same voice echoed in his ear.

__

Your life will be the penance for your sins.

--------

Ryou opened his eyes, feeling thoroughly shaken. He was at his desk, with his head on the table, resting on its side so that he was facing his computer. He relished the feeling of the cool, hard wood against his throbbing skull. This wasn't the first time he had had such a bad headache – and it certainly wasn't the first time he had 'passed out' like this.

__

Awake, are you?

"Hai . . ." he murmured.

__

You did a good job, Ryou. Another source of evil has gone.

"Why do I have to do this?"

__

It's your purpose. The reason you live.

"When can I stop?"

__

You'll never be free of this task, Ryou. Not as long as evil exists. You will live forever, in an immortal body, doing what you are doing now until there is no more evil in this world.

He turned his face downwards and buried it in his arms. He hated this. Ever since he had become the Angel, the _real_ Chosen One of the Gods, he had never had a decent day. Sure, he still maintained his memories and the like, but he wasn't a free person anymore. There was another being within him now, the Angel itself.

The Angel took over his body now, frequently, to accomplish the task he had been sent to do. He had no choice over the matter. The Angel was too strong for him to challenge mentally. There was no question who was the dominant one. In fact, changes had made themselves known in his appearance. His dark brown eyes had gone. In place of them were two pale blue eyes.

"I hate this," he hissed. "Why do I have to do this?"

__

It's your destiny, the Angel told him. _You know better than to fight the will of the Gods._

"I want to be normal. I want to see Seto and Ryuuji and . . . there's so much I could be doing now instead of this. Why me?"

Seto . . . Ryuuji . . . he missed them terribly. It had been so long since they had a proper conversation. He wanted to live like a normal person, with them, never having to worry about what the Angel would do. He didn't want to kill others and not know it until it was too late.

__

You made a choice in the Chamber of Judgement, his counterpart reminded him. _You realise you cannot go back on it._

"I _know_ I've made a choice," he said bitterly. "But I hate it."

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End Chapter One

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Author's Notes:

The rewrite of chapter one! I had to change this chapter after I finished Judgement because I had ended it differently to what I had planned. I wrote the first 'edition' of this halfway into the thirteenth chapter of 'Judgement'.

Yami and Bakura as cops! Snigger I have no idea where that came from. And now they're all nice!

Liked it? Hated it?

REVIEW!

Relinquished


	2. Take Over

**Tenshi no Kokoro**

Disclaimer: refer to first chapter

Summary: Chimera has been defeated and the Angel has emerged.  But now the Angel seeks only to destroy evil.  Seto and Ryuuji, aided by a reborn Marik, must overcome it to find their lover.  S/R/R, YY/YB, YM/R

Warnings: eh . . . I don't really know at this stage.

Responses to reviews and author's notes: The long awaited sequel to 'Judgement'!  I guess you've all been waiting a long time for this, ne?  Well, my friend at school basically threatened me with a painful death if I didn't post this up soon.  But I was going to put this on hold until I got my next fic 'By Moonlight' up and running.  Then again, the characters were a bit OOC.

So anyway, I hope you enjoy the sequel!

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Chapter Two: Take Over

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Across the newspapers was a huge headline.  The article and photo below it outlined a new sex scandal, about a teacher and student at Domino High.  It was the talk of the week, hot gossip for everyone who read the papers.

Miyazawa Shouji crumpled up the paper with a disgusted look and threw it in the bin.  His career was perfectly ruined, all because of a silly schoolgirl who knew no better and chose to seduce him.  How their scandal got out into the open, he didn't know, but it had and now he was going to be sacked from his job.

_Stupid girl,_ he grumbled.  _If she wasn't so desperate to have me stop the seniors from picking on her . . . how pathetic, now she's put _my_ job on the line._

But an almost feral grin spread across his features as he recalled the first time the girl had come to him for help.  As the guidance counselor, it was his job to help out the students who were having trouble adjusting to school life.  This girl had come to him at the beginning of her first year, begging for him to stop the seniors from bullying her.  She had said she was willing to do anything.

His wife had died only months before, due to an 'accident' on the road where he had crashed the passenger side of the car into a pole on the side of the street.  He'd never loved her.  She was too annoying and chatty, always nagging, nagging and nagging.  But back when they had first gotten married, he could cope with that.  As long as he got good sex – and she gave good sex.  But after a while, he got bored and she knew it.  She became so annoying, he had to kill her.  Accidentally, of course.  He blamed the mechanics for not changing the brake pads in his car and got a hell of a lot of compensation for it.

But now that his wife was dead, he had to find other means of satisfying his hunger.  The many women he fucked weren't satisfying at all and he always felt that something was missing.  Maybe it was the thrill of dominance and breaking people, he didn't know.  But whatever it was, the girl gave it to him.

She was inexperienced, but quite willing to learn.  Her body was desirable, small but also generously endowed, which he found attractive.  But that was it.  Her body was the only thing he wanted and, in return, he took care of the bullies.  She gave herself to him every time he wanted it – which was often.  He would pull her out of class with the excuse of guidance counselling, and literally fuck her in his office.  Or anywhere else he could catch her.  And, in fact, she quite enjoyed it, the little whore.

But somehow this secret had been found out.  Now he had no job and no income, and his reputation was tarnished.  She probably blabbed it to someone, who told the press and made this mess.

_She'll get it now.  Nobody messes up my reputation._

--------

_This is the new target._

Ice-blue eyes followed the girl as she closed the curtain to her bedroom, shutting out the news reporters and cameramen outside her house.  They continued to pound on her door and windows, shouting out questions and taking photos.  She ignored them, sitting at her kitchen table and drinking out of the mug.

_Miho, 16 year old student at Domino High.  Involved in a sex scandal with the school guidance counsellor.  Lives separately to parents._

A pale hand brushed back the silvery strands of hair that had blown into the ice-blue eyes.  The hand dropped down to fold with the other over the slim chest.  Bakura Ryou, the Angel, looked on impassively as Miho continued to ignore the reporters and journalists.

_She will die tonight, alongside the teacher she loves so much._

He turned around and jumped off the balcony of the roof of the nearest apartment building next to Miho's.  Tonight, the girl and the guidance counsellor's life would be over.  The world's evil would have decreased by another two.

--------

Jounouchi slammed down the newspaper onto the coffee table at the Kaiba Mansion.  Yugi, sitting next to him, looked upset.  All around the drawing room at the mansion, the other members of their 'group' looked grim.  They had just been discussing the issue of the mysterious disappearances, when Jounouchi discovered an article in the newspaper about their classmate, Miho.

"Kuso," he swore.  "I – _we_ never even knew about this!  I mean, we were friends last year, us and Miho, but we never knew she did something like this!"

"No one knew," Yugi muttered unhappily.

"But the _real_ problem is that, with the way these disappearances have been going, the two of them might be in danger," Ryuuji pointed out.

"Do you really think Bakura-kun would target them?" Yugi asked.

"No one can be sure of that," Kurama said quietly.  "None of us know the way Ryou-sama is thinking right now, so he might – but we don't know that.  What I _can_ tell you is that there is an extremely high possibility that he would."

"Doushite?"

"Because the Angel inside him is intent on destroying evil, it's almost like an obsession," Kurama explained to his distressed student.  "As long as the Angel is in control, Ryou-sama, no matter how strong he is, cannot stop it."

"Which brings me to this question: is this issue _really_ evil?"

The others blinked in surprise, caught off guard by the question.  Yugi had a serious look on his face, wanting to know the answer to the question and yet already knowing what they would say.  Seto stared at his hands.  Was it really a crime to love someone you shouldn't?  He really didn't know.

"Of course it's evil Yugi!" Jounouchi exclaimed.  "It's _wrong_!"

"Wrong doesn't necessarily mean evil, aho," Hiei grunted.

"Bakura kills people who are 'evil' in his books," Jounouchi retorted.  "Doesn't that mean he's murdering?  That's wrong and it makes him just as evil!"

Seto growled and rose to his feet, a snarl on his features.  No one _ever_ insulted Ryou and he wasn't about to let this get away.  Ryou was not evil and he didn't choose to be.  If he was, then it was the Angel inside him that was evil.  The CEO raised his fist and it collided with the side of Jounouchi's head.

"Don't you dare insult him," Seto hissed.

"Seto, dame yo!"

"You wanna take this outside, Kaiba?"

"Jounouchi-kun!"

"Like I'm afraid of you, make inu!"

"Bring it on then, rich prep!"

"_Jounouchi_ . . . Seto-sama, you have better sense than this."

"Heh, stop bothering them, Kurama.  Let's just see what they do."

"Hiei, if you're not going to help then SHUT UP!"

"Are you going to make me, Otogi?"

"Why you . . ."

" . . . Uh, are we interrupting something?"

They all turned to the door, where the former members of Chimera stood, wide-eyed, staring at them.  Of course, they had every reason to.  Seto and Jounouchi were at each other's necks; Yugi was pulling at the blonde's sleeve and Kurama was at Seto's.  Hiei and Ryuuji were having a glaring contest behind them and it seemed as though it was possible to see the tension between them.  Marik coughed.

"If you guys are too busy killing each other, then we'll leave."

"Iie, Marik . . ." Kurama sighed, tugging Seto away from Jounouchi.  "We were just separating the two of them."

"Ah . . . I see."

"What's up, Marik?" Yugi chirped.

"It's about Ryou."

--------

"EEE?  NANDA?"

Anubis grinned in a wolfish way, baring his fanged teeth.  He still retained some of his reptilian qualities from his shape shifting days.  Right now, those fangs of his were directed at Ryuuji and Seto, who were looking shocked and surprised at what he had just told them.

"You mean to say that – that you know where Ryou's been hiding?"

"Not so much hiding than living," Malik corrected.  "He's actually quite open about it to other people, but none of them know about his past so we haven't heard any news about it before."

"So, um . . . if we find Bakura-kun, does that mean we might be able to save Miho?" Yugi asked hopefully.

"There is that possibility," Ishizu confirmed.  "Or otherwise . . ."

" . . . We find him, fail to save that girl and then he'll move and we're back at the beginning again," Hiei finished.  Ishizu glared at him for interrupting.

"No," she snapped.  "What I was _going_ to say was that, if we use this information to our advantage, we could probably kill the Angel.  It's a chance."

"But it might harm Ryou – possibly even kill him."

"He'll survive.  Don't be so foolish."

"Let's take this chance, Ryuuji," Seto said quietly.  The game creator stared at him as if he had just grown another two heads.  "It's probably going to be our only chance to do so otherwise."

"Seto . . . not you too."

"We might not get another chance at this!" Seto said, rounding on the black-haired teen with wild eyes.  "You should understand that I'd do anything to get him back!  I thought you would do the same.  I can't let this chance go."

He strode over to the huge window, leaning against it and looking out into the garden.  His blue eyes were distant and weary.  Ryuuji felt a pang of guilt.  He wanted Ryou back and he knew it, but he was just too much of a coward to take any chances.  To be honest, he was afraid of the emotional damage it would cause the both of them if they were to lose Ryou a second time.

"If . . . if it's the right decision, then I'll do it."

--------

Anubis' information led them to a comfortable-looking, two-storey house on the other side of town.  It had plain, whitewashed walls and a garden bed full of white and red roses.  Seto bit the inside of his cheek.  White roses were Ryou's favourite and red were his.  Ryuuji was, frankly, allergic to flowers.  But that wasn't the point.

Ryou still remembered that he liked red roses.  Red for passion and for intensity . . . the albino had often said how these roses suited him well.  Hope kindled inside him.  If Ryou still remembered this small fact, then there was still hope that he hadn't been completely consumed by the Angel.  They still had a chance of getting him back.

"Do you want to ring the doorbell?"  Ryuuji asked.  "Cos if you don't, I will."

"Go ahead."

Ryuuji pressed the doorbell.  It made a strange sound – Seto wasn't even sure whether he had ever heard such a strange doorbell before.  No one answered, so Ryuuji pressed it again.  Then they tried the door.  It was open.

"Nani . . .?" the game creator whispered.  "Ryou?"

They went inside.  The interior was simply furnished, with not much decoration.  Furniture was kept to the basics: one shelf, a table, a chair and a fireplace.  Ryou liked to keep warm.  Going inside, there was not even a sign of life inside the house.  They walked further and came across a room, which obviously was a bedroom, what with the bed and desk inside.

"He's a plain person," Jounouchi commented.

"Keep to the necessities," Kurama explained.  "First rule for any travelling."

"Oh, ok."

"Ryou . . .?"

Ryuuji and Seto ventured inside the room.  There was nothing in the room, so they figured Ryou was not home.  However, as they left the room, a scuffle was heard inside the room next to it.  Seto stalked over cautiously, resting a hand on the doorknob.  He and Ryuuji exchanged glances.

"Do you think he might be in there?"

"Might be," Ryuuji murmured back.  He turned to the others.  "Keep quiet, ne?  I think we might have something here."

They nodded.  Seto turned the doorknob slowly, pushing it open.  The bathroom was just as white and clean as the rest of the house.  The only thing different about it was the slight figure cowered in the corner, beside the cupboard under the sink.  He couldn't mistake the silvery hair and the slim frame.

"Ryou!" he hissed, hurrying over.  "Shimatta, Ryou!"

Seto grabbed the albino by the shoulders and shook him.  Ryou raised blank eyes to watch him expressionlessly.  His jaw was slack and he sagged in Ryou's arm.  Ryuuji came around the back and supported his weight.  They exchanged glances.

"Ryou, daijoubu?" Ryuuji asked.

"Ryou, answer me."

"S-Seto . . .?"

Ryou looked up at Seto as if in a daze.  The CEO breathed a shaky sigh of relief, reaching a hand up to touch his face, cupping the side.  Ryuuji held his waist tightly, burying his face in Ryou's shoulder.  They stayed like that for a while, before Seto felt something wrong.  He moved his hand from under Ryou's elbow when he felt something warm and wet trickle down.

"Blood, Ryou?" he whispered.  "Nani?"

"Can't . . . let . . . it take . . . over," Ryou breathed.  "Must . . . fight."

"Ryou," Ryuuji said in a pained voice.

"Wants to . . . kill . . . Miho . . ."

--------

Seto placed the albino in his room gently and Ryuuji pulled the covers over his unconscious frame.  Yugi went to the bedside and clutched Ryou's hand.  Jounouchi was outside, waiting for the ambulance to come.  Between Kurama and Hiei, they managed to stop the bleeding in his side.  Ryuuji stroked Ryou's bangs gently.

"He's been through a lot."  The game creator smiled.  "But I'm glad he's back with us."

"But for how long?" Hiei said grimly.

"_Hiei,_" Kurama growled warningly.

"We don't know for certain if this is a trap or not," the shorter teen argued.  "If it is, then we're not that prepared for it.  I highly doubt that either Kaiba or Otogi would fight the Angel, knowing it was Bakura."

Ryuuji and Seto turned away.  Hiei was right.  They wouldn't have the heart or the will to fight the Angel if he were to come out now.  Ryou was injured and he was at the top of their priorities.  They wouldn't be able to bring themselves to kill him.  Hiei knew this weakness and attempted to make up for it as best he could, which both Elites were grateful for.

"This doesn't seem right," Jounouchi said, coming into the room.  "I mean, if Bakura's been avoiding us for _months_ now, how come it was so easy to find him?  Shouldn't he have some sort of magical protection thingy?"

After the word 'thingy' Jounouchi had thrown into the sentence, Seto, Ryuuji, Hiei and Kurama sighed.  They had often tried to teach the blonde the correct terms for identifying different things, like a spiritual barrier.  Jounouchi insisted on calling it a 'magical protection thingy'.  It seemed to make more sense to him that way.

"A spiritual barrier, Jounouchi," Kurama corrected.  "I believe the answer to the question your asking lies within Ryou-sama's mind.  He now has two consciences inside his body.  One is his own and the other is the Angel."

"So?"

"Aho," Hiei said angrily, whacking the blonde over the head.  "That means he has to fight the Angel for control over his own body."

"Oh."

"So because of this multiple consciousness," Kurama continued, "they will have conflicting ideologies.  The Angel must want to keep this place a secret so we won't be able to find it.  Ryou-sama . . . from what Anubis has told us, he left clues with the rest of the school so that we _would_ be able to find it.  He wants us to find him and help him."

"What do we do now?" Yugi asked.

The tri-haired teen gave a startled exclamation when Ryou's body began going into convulsions.  The albino convulsed, choked cries tore out of his throat as he clutched the bed sheets, sweating.  Ryuuji threw himself over Ryou's chest, pinning him down.  Seto held down his legs to stop him from thrashing and hurting himself.

"It must be the Angel," Hiei shouted over Ryou's cries.  "It's trying to take over."

"Hold on, Ryou!" Ryuuji pleaded, holding Ryou's face still.  "Fight it!"

"Ryou!"

"He's going to bite his tongue if we don't do anything about it," Yugi warned.  He was hovering worriedly behind Seto.  "This looks just like an epileptic fit."

"IYA!" Ryou screamed.  His eyes were still closed.  "DAME!  Can't . . . take over . . . I won't let you . . .!"

"Fight it Ryou!" Seto roared.  "FIGHT IT!"

--------

_Beep.  Beep.  Beep.  Beep._

A pale hand reached over to the life support machine connected to the man's unconscious form.  The attack hadn't gone as well as planned.  The girl hadn't survived, but her teacher had barely managed to.  Pale lips twitched upwards in a smirk.  Oh well, he would take care of this quickly and quietly.

_Sayonara, kisama._

Grasping the cords, he gave a sharp tug.  They came out quickly and he dropped them.  With a satisfied grin, he turned back to the man in the hospital bed.  The heart monitor was the only sound heard in the room.

_BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP._

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End Chapter Two

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Author's Notes:

Confusing ne?  I tried to make it ambiguous, so that no one would really know what happened.  More about what happened will be explained in later chapters.

REVIEW!

Relinquished


	3. Shall We Dance?

**Tenshi no Kokoro**

Disclaimer: refer to first chapter

Summary: Chimera has been defeated and the Angel has emerged. But now the Angel seeks only to destroy evil. Seto and Ryuuji, aided by a reborn Marik, must overcome it to find their lover. S/R/R, YY/YB, YM/R

Warnings: eh . . . I don't really know at this stage.

Author's Notes: The long awaited sequel to 'Judgement'! I guess you've all been waiting a long time for this, ne? Well, my friend at school basically threatened me with a painful death if I didn't post this up soon. But I was going to put this on hold until I got my next fic 'By Moonlight' up and running. Then again, the characters were a bit OOC.

So anyway, I hope you enjoy the sequel!

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Chapter Three: Shall We Dance?

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The class groaned collectively as the PE (A/N: Phys Ed) teacher announced their topic for this term. Social dance. It was not a popular topic in PE class, especially when there was the fact that they were an _all-male_ class. This was the worst possible task for them.

"Ugh, dancing with _girls_ is bad enough," someone muttered.

"It's awkward – dancing with other guys," Kurama noted. He was looking at Hiei, who he had paired up with. "I guess – you have to be the female."

"_Why_?" Hiei growled dangerously.

"Because you're _short_!" Jounouchi laughed. "Hahahah!"

"Hey!" Yugi reprimanded, hitting his best friend over the head. "No laughing at the vertically challenged!"

They were partners. Seto and Ryuuji guessed that they would have to pair up too, seeing as it was only natural they did, but the teacher separated them.

"Otogi, Kaiba," he said, "the two of you will take different partners. We can't have two experienced people together when others need to learn! Now, Otogi, you come over here and pair up with Honda. Kaiba – well, your partner isn't exactly _here_ yet, so you just wait a bit."

Ryuuji grimaced as he walked over to where the taller brunette was standing. Turning around, he mouthed 'Honda?' over to his friends, who either smirked, or grinned and waved at him happily. The obvious thought from these actions was 'better you than me'. He glared at them, before turning to Honda.

"Hey, Otogi," the brunette greeted.

"Can you dance, Honda?" Ryuuji asked. "Seriously."

"Uh – nope," Honda replied blandly. "Never tried."

"So you probably have two left feet." Ryuuji groaned. "Greeaaaat."

As he was silently complaining about his misfortune at having such a bad dance partner, the door to the gym had opened again to admit the newcomer. All heads turned, including Ryuuji's, and everyone surmised that this was Seto's partner. The CEO waited to see who it was.

"Bakura, you're late," the teacher grunted.

"Gomen nasai, sensei," Ryou said quietly. "I had last minute transfer details."

"Very well, go over to Kaiba. We're going to do social dancing today."

Ryou's eyes widened and they drifted over to Seto, whose eyes were almost as wide. The teacher barked out an order and the albino hurried over to the CEO, not daring to push the limits of their PE teacher's patience. He awkwardly let Seto take his hands and hold them in the correct position for this dance.

"All right, the males hold out both hands in front of them as if you're holding cups in them." The teacher demonstrated. "The females 'dip' their hands inside – no, Arima, just dip your fingers inside your partner's hands. This is how you hold each other's hands throughout this dance."

Everyone complied, awkwardly holding each other's hands. Seto and Ryou, however, were just staring at each other, wondering what to say. They hadn't talked properly in a long time, not since they had found his home and tried to restrain the Angel. The result of that visit was near catastrophic. In the struggle, the power the Angel emitted burned down half the house and the Angel had managed to escape their clutches. That was two days ago.

"Anou . . . gomen," Ryou murmured.

"Nani?"

"I –"

"Okay, now the males are always the lead," the teacher continued. "With your right hand, take your partner's hand with you in a circular motion."

They did so, Seto easily guiding Ryou.

"I caused you trouble, didn't I?"

"Now the males step back with their right foot. Not a huge step, you dolt, a small one. Females step back with your left. Now do this as you perform the circular motion with your hands."

"Not at all." Seto clasped his hands gently. "Anything for you."

Seto knew this dance well. It was the first dance he had ever learnt when he was a child. This was one of the easiest social dances. Half an hour later, the class was struggling slowly through the dance, having been walked through the steps one by one. The teacher was walking around, correcting their positions and commenting on how they were doing.

"Jounouchi!" he barked, causing the blonde to yelp. "Step with your left and then pivot on it! Bring your right foot behind you! Now, you twits, I'm going to play the music, count you in and see how you paid attention!"

He went over to the CD player, smirking at the collective groans. Ryou looked hesitant. Other things he was good at, but dancing? Seto saw the uncertainty in his eyes and smiled gently. He took both the albino's hands and held them, causing the other to look up in surprise.

"Daijoubu, just follow my lead."

"5 . . . 6 . . . 7 . . . 8!"

As the music started, Seto gracefully led Ryou through the steps. He did this just slow enough for the albino to follow, but also in time with the beat of the song. Their eyes never left each other's. Seto twirled him around once, clockwise, and then again in the opposite direction. Ryou knew he was a hopeless romantic, but he felt like he was falling in love with him all over again.

_You're doing very well, Ryou _

_/ You're just a good teacher that's all /_

The rest of the class had stopped, only to watch them. They moved with practiced ease, which was surprising, as this was only Ryou's first time dancing. Ryuuji winced when Honda, who was practicing the steps next to him, trod on his foot. He glared at the other brunette, who backed away sheepishly.

The music faded and stopped. The teacher clapped his hands together as Seto and Ryou stopped as well, looking a little dazed.

"That was great work, both of you."

Ryou flushed and freed his hands from Seto's, nodding to him politely before muttering something about getting a drink and walking away hurriedly. The teacher yelled at the rest of the class to keep practicing while he went to get something from the storeroom, calling over his shoulder as he left. Ryuuji, Kurama, Hiei, Jounouchi and Yugi went over to Seto.

"You danced with _Ryou_!" Ryuuji complained, jealous. "No fair, did you even notice the way he was looking at you? I would give an arm and a leg to have him look at _me_ like that!"

"Enough of that," Seto said quickly. "I think something's going to happen. Ryuuji, you and I will follow Ryou. The rest of you, stay put and get ready to protect the class if something _does_ happen."

--------

Ryou ran, panting, from the gym. The throbbing in his chest died down a little as he stopped to catch his breath. It had come so close. He held a hand up to his chest to steady the heartbeats. This would not do. If he gave in and showed weakness, then he would be taken over permanently. Then Seto and Ryuuji would be in danger.

_You dance well, Ryou._

"Stop harassing me," he hissed.

Why won't you let me see your friends? Are you afraid I might kill them? Don't worry, the Gods have given me special orders not to touch them unless it's absolutely necessary.

"Leave me alone."

I can't. We are one being. You won't be able to get rid of me.

"Ryou!"

I'll let you have some peace, however. But when I take over, I take over.

The albino turned around and found himself in Seto's arms. The CEO had followed him from the gym. Behind him, Ryuuji caught up, panting heavily. They were relieved to see him unscathed. He touched Seto's shoulder lightly.

"Seto – daijoubu," he said. "You can let go."

"Why did you run, Ryou?" Seto asked, looking him in the eye. "Was it the Angel? Is he trying to take over you again?"

"You can tell us," Ryuuji added, latching an arm around Ryou's waist.

"Iya. I needed air," Ryou lied.

They stood in awkward silence, not knowing what to say. Ryuuji stroked Ryou's hair, a favourite past time of his. Seto let Ryou rest his head against his chest. It had been so long since they had had time alone together. But Ryou suddenly remembered something he had to tell them.

"Seto, Ryuuji, pay close attention," he said urgently, pulling away. "I _can't_ control the Angel, so I never know when it's going to take over me. There's nothing you can do to help me, so don't try. Just – make sure to protect the people I'm trying to attack. When the time comes and the Angel is out of control, I want you to kill it."

"We can't do that, Ryou," Ryuuji said seriously.

"You'll have to."

"Don't you understand?" Seto asked angrily. "We can't because killing the Angel might mean killing _you_. We can't risk it."

"Stop being so foolish and realise that this is the only way!"

Ryuuji turned him around by the shoulders. This movement caused Ryou to stiffen and his body to convulse. Seto and Ryuuji recognised this from the previous time they had talked to Ryou. The Angel was trying to take over again.

"Go to . . . the police station . . ." Ryou gasped. "Anubis . . . danger."

He disappeared in a flash of white. Seto and Ryuuji exchanged glances. The game creator ran back into the gym to call for the others, while Seto drew out his cellphone. He began dialling Anubis' cell, trying to calm down his nerves. The demon-turned-policeman was in danger, according to Ryou. He had to be prepared.

"Moshi moshi?"

"Anubis ka?"

"Hai." Anubis paused. "Kaiba? Daijoubu ka?"

"Ryou is coming your way," Seto said quickly. "No time to explain. He says you're in danger. You and Yami better watch out – the Angel must have targeted either one of you guys."

"All right, thanks. I'll call Marik and the rest."

"We'll bring our team along."

"Ja."

--------

"Oi, Yami! Get your scrawny ass over here!"

The former pharaoh blinked at the sudden voice over the transmitter. Around him, his colleagues laughed at the comical look on his face. They were used to such antics from Anubis, Yami's lover, who had absolutely no clue as to bad timing. They were currently discussing the mystery murders in the area when Anubis' voice interrupted them.

"Nani, Anubis?" Yami snapped, pressing a button on the transmitter. "I'm busy, you bastard."

"Just get your ass over here," Anubis snapped. "It's an emergency."

"What happened this time?"

"Kaiba just called."

Yami's eyes widened in realisation. He turned back to his colleagues with an apologetic expression.

"Gomen, minna, this _is_ an emergency," he said. "I'm taking the rest of the day off, okay? Ja ne."

He ran off, grabbing his coat and keys. The people left behind were blinking, though they weren't at all surprised. Yami frequently ran off like this as soon as he got a call from Anubis, or from one of his friends. They didn't know what he did, but he ran off without fail.

Yami adjusted the earpiece attached to his mobile phone as he got into the elevator. He dialled Anubis' number, pressed 'call' and waited.

"Yami?"

"Fill me in," Yami said shortly. "What did Kaiba call for?"

"They found Ryou. Before the Angel could take over, he told them that the Angel might be after us."

"And so what are we doing now?"

"Wait for me in the lobby," Anubis ordered. "We're meeting Kaiba and the others there. I'm calling Ishizu now."

"Then I'll call Marik and Malik."

They hung up and Yami immediately began calling the Ishtar brothers. Marik was busy jigging school and Malik was at home finishing an assignment due tomorrow. As a policeman, he was supposed to prevent these things, but he couldn't care less right about now.

"Moshi moshi, Ishtar residence."

"Malik, is Marik there with you?" Yami demanded.

"Yami? Hai, niisan's here."

"Great. The two of you get down to the police station at once."

". . . We're not in trouble, are we?"

"Iie. Just get you down here. It's about Ryou."

At this point, the elevator Yami had been in stopped at the lobby. He rushed out of the suffocatingly small room and walked briskly into the marbled chamber also known as the Domino Police Station lobby. Anubis was waiting for him at the rows of seats near the glass doors, yelling into his cellphone.

"Ryou, you say?" Marik's voice came on the other line. "Well, what are we waiting for? Come on Malik! We're going!"

The line was cut then, amidst Malik's surprised yelp as Marik grabbed him by the collar and bodily dragged him out the door. Yami sighed and jogged over to where Anubis sat, still shouting into the phone.

"Ishizu get down here NOW!" he was screeching. "You think your business meeting is more important than THIS? Sort out your priorities, woman!"

If it weren't for the fact that he worked there, Yami was almost certain that Anubis would have gotten himself kicked out a long time ago. Still, the people at the desk were looking near their wits end, with no way, whatsoever, of silencing the raging albino. Yami whacked him over the head calmly.

"Itai!" Anubis yelped. He turned and saw Yami, then went back to yelling into his phone. "Look, Ishizu, if you don't get here in ten minutes, then we'll have to assume you're dead."

He hung up, huffing angrily. Then he turned to Yami.

"What was that for?"

"This is a public place, Anubis," Yami said calmly. "You shouldn't yell."

"Why don't you tell Ishizu not to be so stubborn?" the albino retorted angrily. "She's about to go into a business meeting of some sort and she seems to think that it's more important than our lives!"

"Let her be. If she doesn't come, we can't do anything about it. Malik and Marik are on their way. I assume Kaiba and the others are too?"

--------

Where is the murderer? The murderer . . .

The Angel landed quietly on the lamp post across the street from the police station. He was invisible to normal people, so this feat didn't not surprise anyone on the street. His ice blue eyes narrowed as six people rushed inside the glass doors of the station, two at a time.

_Ryou told them about my attack_, he thought harshly. _I must be more careful._

He shrouded himself in a spiritual barrier, thus making him invisible to any eyes, even to the Chosen. He unfurled his wings and floated down so that he was now in front of the station entrance. His prey was coming soon.

Inside the glass doors, the Chosen and the former members of Chimera were half-discussing, half-arguing in angry voices. He watched them in fascination, passing through the door and standing beside them. Standing beside Seto, to be more exact. The CEO's eyes flickered briefly over in his direction, but seeing nothing, turned back to the conversation.

"Look, we heard Ryou say it, all right?" Ryuuji said angrily.

"And how did you get to speak to Ryou?" Marik asked, jealous.

"Dance."

"Dance?" Marik's eyebrow rose. "You were _dancing_?"

"Damare," Seto growled. "Let's get back to the matter at hand. We don't know exactly _who_ the Angel is about to attack, so we have to be very careful. The only clue Ryou left us is that it has to do with Anubis."

"Anubis?"

The said albino was snarling at Jounouchi, who was saying something. Yami sighed and tugged Anubis' ear back in their direction. Anubis looked at them and shrugged. He didn't know what Ryou's clue was directed them at. He wasn't even there when Ryou said it.

"It could mean that Anubis and I have been targeted," Yami said thoughtfully. "But we haven't exactly done anything _evil_ since we were reborn. Maybe it's someone we're working with? I mean, I guess criminals could be considered evil. I've been trying to track down a murderer, but we haven't caught him yet."

"We've recently caught a serial killer," Anubis put in. "He's being transferred to jail today. But I'm not too sure when."

_That's the murderer I'm looking for_.

"Now tell us, Kaiba," Marik said easily, "how was your dance?"

"He danced with _Bakura_," Jounouchi sniggered. "They were perfect for each other. I've never seen two people so lovestruck."

The Angel scowled and made a mental note to strangle Jounouchi when his task was over. He hated when people made fun of him. If he were Ryou, then this building would have collapsed long ago. But he didn't want to kill anyone he didn't need to. It was a waste of his energy.

_No time for this. He's coming._

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End Chapter Three

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Author's Notes:

Well, that was a really crappy chapter. And the dance is a real dance that I learnt about two or three weeks ago in a social dance lesson for PE. I don't think I was doing it right at the time, but when I think back on it and kind of speed it up a bit in my mind, I reckon it's an okay sort of dance.

And this chapter did NOT end with a death, or _contain_ a death, for that matter. It's a first for this story, isn't it? Wow, maybe this is a sign that I should lay off the death scenes for a while. Give Seto and the others some scenes where they actually _save_ the person, ne?

Yeah, right.

Anyway, REVIEW!

Relinquished


	4. Fading and Fighting

**Tenshi no Kokoro**

Disclaimer: refer to first chapter

Summary: Chimera has been defeated and the Angel has emerged. But now the Angel seeks only to destroy evil. Seto and Ryuuji, aided by a reborn Marik, must overcome it to find their lover. S/R/R, YY/YB, YM/R

Warnings: I forgot about this . . . deaths and lots of them! Fluff, some swearing (but not much), weirdness of character, OOC and OC's who just appear for a brief period of time before I get rid of them. Anou . . . if there are more, then I'll tell you guys when I get to it, ne?

Responses to Reviews and Author's Notes:

Ril: hehe, my faithful reviewer as always!! Glad you still like this fic!!

iceheart3000: I UPDATED !!! Well, this story is going sloooooooooooow....

lilmatchgirl007: confusing? Tell me which part's confusing and I'll help clear it up a little!!! looks around desperately I knew I should have added more detail!!!!!

Elle-Fate2x1-2: YAY FOR ROMANCE!! Instead of angsty romance, this fic is going into hopeless fluff, like 'A Legacy Unfinished'. I'm choking on the fluff!!!! But if it's SetoRyou, I'm cool with it

andromeda90: OOH OOH OOH!! jumps up and down, waving madly I can't believe you reviewed this fic!!!!! Andromeda-sama!!! I LOVE your fics!!!! They're sooo good!

invisible-eyes: aww, Ryou-torture is what makes this fic sweet, ne? Especially when his knight(s) in shining armour come to the rescue valiantly!! looks at review original? Heh . . . yeah . . . it's as original as I can get it!!

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Chapter Four: Fading and Fighting

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Criminals being transported to jail were still heavily guarded so that they could not escape, nor could other people touch them. This was to prevent them from _making_ any escapes with the help of others, or if others wanted to harm them before they served their sentence.

Anubis hated this rule. His self-policy was that if someone did something wrong, there was no point in protecting them. He believed that, the sooner the criminal was disposed of, the better. Unfortunately, law and society did not support that belief and he reluctantly had to stay quiet.

His job now was to transport a serial murderer into the high security prison halfway across town. He was reluctant to do so, as he was reluctant to do most things that regarded actually 'protecting' criminals. But if he didn't, as Yami reminded him, he would not gain a pardon from the Gods and would be damned back to the lower worlds.

"Come on, you," he snarled at the criminal, grabbing him by the collar and hauling him into the van. "You don't wanna get beaten before you get there."

"Heh, you can't beat me up," the guy said smugly.

"You wanna bet on that?"

Anubis bared his sharp teeth at the guy, hissing. His colleagues concealed grins of amusement at his antics. They were used to him terrorising their charges by now. He complained about treating the criminals as if they were VIP, so they just let him scare them a little on the way to the jail.

The group of TC agents and former Chimera – Ishizu hadn't turned up after all – were still gathered in the lobby. He waved to them, telling Yami that he would be back in at least half an hour, before bodily dragging the guy into the back of the prison vehicle.

"You know, I really hate cops," the guy said casually.

"Oh really?" Anubis leaned back in his seat across from him. "I don't exactly enjoy _your_ company either."

"You guys are really up yourselves."

"I could say the same for you."

There was a banging on the door and Anubis went to open it. Ryuuji stood there, looking up at him with a determined expression.

"I'm coming with you."

"Nani? Otogi, are you _insane_?"

"Look, Anubis," Ryuuji hissed, bringing the albino's face forward. "I'm coming. We don't know whether the Angel will target you. You don't have your old powers anymore, so you won't be able to protect yourself if he does attack."

--------

The Angel scowled.

His target was now protected by an Elite Chosen and a rowdy, wild former demon out for blood. He would have to be especially careful in getting around them. Ditching the others was an easy task – he had done so as soon as Anubis and Ryuuji had left the building.

But he couldn't just _kill_ his target inside the vehicle. No, Ryuuji knew he was around and that he was behind the murders, so that would put him at a disadvantage. What could he do . . .?

As he thought about it, he trailed them from his place in the air. He was still invisible to all eyes, which was a good thing. It wouldn't work that he dived inside the vehicle and tried to strangle the guy, because when he was invisible, his body had no solidity.

Not one to kill innocent lives in the course of a job, the Angel knew he had to risk something in order to succeed. He had often wondered why he couldn't retain that initial purity this form had produced upon awakening. Then this world would be rid of evil for good. But all forms had a 'use-by date', as he had heard the ever-so-eloquent Jounouchi say when describing the radioactivity of an atom. It was a fact he had had to live with, much as he despised it.

_There are no people around_, he noted carefully as the vehicle turned onto a highway. _This is the perfect time to attack._

He swooped down so that he was flying alongside the police vehicle and watched carefully for where the murderer was sitting. His sight penetrated the steel sides, taking in what was inside.

The murderer was seated directly in his line of vision, in between Anubis and Ryuuji. Two other officers sat across from them, the backs of their heads towards him. This was too easy. He only had to take aim and shoot. The blast would pass through the steel harmlessly, but automatically kill the murderer.

_Quick and painless_

He aimed carefully, straight at the guy's heart. Just as he was about to shoot, Ryuuji looked up at where he was, as if sensing him. The Angel gritted his teeth. He'd forgotten that this particular Chosen was able to break through barriers set by any supernatural being. He had most likely broken through his invisibility barrier and his spiritual barrier to sense him.

--------

"Anubis," Ryuuji said quietly. "Outside."

Anubis scowled back at him.

"What can we do?" he hissed.

They sat straighter, on the edge of their seats, ready to protect anyone who would suffer an attack. There was nothing they could do, since they had no one who could conjure up a protective barrier or something that would prevent the Angel from harming anyone. Ryuuji cursed the fact that he had decided to come along without backup – at least Seto, Hiei or Kurama would be able to help.

Nothing happened for a few minutes. The other two cops across from them could not tell that something was wrong and sat back casually, posture slightly slumped as they chatted. Ryuuji could not sense a barrier anymore, which thoroughly confused him. The Angel wouldn't give up that easily.

As if to answer that thought, the murderer made a choking noise from between them and then slumped forward. There was a bloody mess on his chest, from his back, like he had been shot from behind. Ryuuji, Anubis and the two other cops went into an uproar, telling the driver to pull over.

"F–," Anubis swore. "How did that happen?"

"There's no damage to the vehicle at all," one of the cops reported in confusion. "I mean, the guy looks like he was shot, but there's no bullet hole. It'll look really bad to outsiders, like we shot him or something."

"Kore wa . . ." Ryuuji trailed off, staring at the inside wall. "_Tenshi_ . . ."

He scrambled outside of the vehicle and onto the road where they had parked. There was only a bit of bush on the sides of the road and there was no visible sign of damage to any place around them. He ran back to approximately where they had been when the guy went down, which was some several metres back.

"Ryou!" he yelled. "I know you're here Ryou!"

When no answer came, he looked at the side of the road where the Angel had most likely delivered the shot. There was a small tree, surrounded by bush, which had been burnt down in a fire from quite a while ago. He edged towards it carefully; not knowing whether his instincts were correct in thinking that Ryou was behind that very tree.

_Am I who you are looking for?_

"Omae!"

From behind the tree, the white robes of the Angel fluttered as he stepped out to reveal himself. His aura was shimmering about him in a silvery light. Ryuuji deduced this to be the fact that he had just finished attacking.

"Why did you do it?"

_I told you before. It's my purpose._

"What? Killing people?"

_He was a murderer and deserved to die._

"You murdered him as well!"

The Angel glared icily at this accusation, sending cold chills down Ryuuji's spine. He knew it was not a good thing to anger him and it was as good a time as any to go back a step. But he stood his ground silently, jade coloured eyes challenging.

_I did the world a favour,_ the Angel said coldly. _He did not._

"Murdering a murderer is still murdering," Ryuuji said bluntly. "And if murdering is evil, then, in all essence, are you not evil yourself?"

What took place next did not register properly in Ryuuji's mind. One moment he was standing in front of the Angel, and the next he was where the Angel had been standing, blinking away a bright light from his eyes as he held the crumpled form of a pale schoolboy also known as Ryou in his arms.

_You have not won me as yet, Chosen_.

"I'd look forward to our next encounter more if you didn't take Ryou's body for your own use," he returned dryly.

--------

Needless to say, when they went back to school the next day – Malik with his finished assignment – they narrowly avoided getting chewed out by the school guidance counsellor. If it hadn't been for Seto, who proved to be brilliant at lying with a straight face, the six of them would have been given at least a month's worth of detentions.

"Where'd you learn to lie like that?" Yugi asked, astounded.

"Lying isn't at all hard," Ryuuji said pleasantly as they strolled back towards their classroom. "You just need a straight, honest expression, a plausible tale and the ability to change tacts in a flash."

"Or, in our case, someone who has a powerful reputation," Kurama added.

They all grinned at Seto, who wore a small, smug expression. Oh he could lie with the smoothest tongue any of them had seen and he could get away with it. He had spent most of his early life with his stepfather lying with every breath he took. It wasn't hard, once he had gotten used to it, and now lying came easily.

"I couldn't lie like that," Yugi said ruefully. Kurama patted him comfortingly.

"Daijoubu, Yugi," he said lightly. "You'll learn."

"Or we'll just cover for ya," Jounouchi said cheerfully. "You'll just sit back and agree with whatever we have to say. Simple as that."

"But don't always rely on this one," Hiei grunted, jerking his head in the blonde's direction. "He's got the brains of a jellyfish and the sense of a brick."

They all laughed except for Jounouchi, whose face was burning with anger or humiliation, no one knew. Yugi smiled hesitantly, unsure of how he would get along with all these people who lied on a day to day basis. He felt insecure about lying, as he had been taught to tell the truth by his ever-so-reliable jiichan.

"You won't go to Hell for it," Marik piped up. "Believe me, I've been there. Lying is common, but it's not why those scums get sent there for."

"Says the 'scum' who is sent back here for probation," Jounouchi muttered.

"I heard that, aho."

--------

Ryuuji had Ryou taken back to the Kaiba Mansion before he woke up. After that, he was put inside a chamber between Ryuuji and Seto's sealed with their best barriers. It prevented him from using any means to get out, supernatural or no. His Angel counterpart, though powerful, could not possibly stand against the combined powers of four extremely strong and credited Chosen and two exceptional – however inexperienced – apprentices.

"Can I see him, niisama?" Mokuba queried.

"Iie, Mokuba," Seto replied with a sigh, stepping inside the room. "It may be dangerous as yet. Perhaps later."

Of course, the black-haired boy was rather reluctant to leave it at that, but a look from his older brother told him to be silent. He was attached to Ryou, who acted as his close friend and carer in Seto's absence and Mokuba much preferred the quiet and sweet albino to any of the overly pompous servants and maids.

"Kurama-san . . ." he said, turning to the redhead as he approached the door. "Why do you all get to go in and I don't?"

"In time you'll understand the need, Mokuba-kun." Kurama patted him on the shoulder. "But now is not the time for questions. Perhaps later."

"Why is the answer always 'perhaps later'?" he asked mournfully.

Kurama chuckled and bent down to his level, looking amused.

"You're young yet, Mokuba-kun," he said evenly, "and growing up very fast. But still young. You're powers haven't shown through, so we all must take precautions to protect you from harm until they do. Until then, Mokuba-kun, you must be patient and know that we will tell you everything we know when the right time comes. All right?"

"Hai, Kurama-san!" Mokuba chirped, feeling a little happier.

Kurama smiled, patted his shoulder again and walked into the room. Hiei followed wordlessly, though his eyes met Mokuba's with slight amusement. Frankly, Mokuba didn't find anything remotely funny. He frowned in confusion at Hiei's behaviour as the door closed behind him and then left it to the fact that Hiei was _always_ strange, before shrugging and going back to his room.

--------

"You sounded really wise back there, Kurama."

The redhead smiled faintly at his teacher, standing at the foot of the bed.

"I've always been rather precocious," he said modestly.

Ryou returned the smile, sitting up in bed with Seto at one side and Ryuuji on the other. He felt drained the explanation being that he had just started to use supernatural attacks in the killings the Angel partook in. Usually he didn't have to resort to them and especially that one attack before, the one which passed through steel and metals harmlessly to hit the target, was consuming. The Angel would remain quiet for a short time yet.

"Ee, you have been," Ryou agreed. "Precocious indeed, Kurama. You delve into philosophy too often and forget reality. I've been trying to break that habit of yours for a while, ne?"

"Hai, Ryou-sama."

"And I see the reasoning behind keeping me here – but all day long?" Ryou sighed. "It gets a bit tedious, Seto, really. The least you could have done was put me back in my room."

"You sound a thousand years old," Ryuuji joked.

"And I feel it," Ryou replied with a roll of his eyes.

"And we brought your homework."

"Wonderful," the albino said dryly. "Everything is perfectly all right now."

They went on to discuss more important issues, like the Angel. Ryou admitted that he had control of his own body more often than not, but it was the times in between that really bothered him. Every once in a while, the Angel would take over without warning, but always in an isolated place. Then the Angel, using his body, would set about killing the next target.

"I have no control," he said quietly. "When I wake up, I'm at home and I can recall everything that happened. It's terrifying, in a way, knowing that it is essentially _me_ who commits these acts, however reluctant I am."

"The purity of the Angel . . ." Hiei muttered. "Have you noticed anything about it, Bakura? Has it changed at all during this time?"

Ryou gripped Seto's hand tightly as his form shook. Seto embraced him tightly, while Ryuuji ran warm fingers through his mane. These acts comforted him somewhat and he tried to recall what he knew.

"Every time he takes over . . . the pain grows," he whispered. "The first time . . . I felt warm and safe, almost . . . but now it hurts more . . . and there's this dark feeling at the back of my mind."

"Then the purity is depleting," Seto said firmly. "Each time a murder is committed, the purity fades a little more. The dark feeling . . . perhaps it signifies a sort of tainting."

"And after all the purity has faded . . ." Ryuuji trailed off. He didn't dare continue, looking down at Ryou worriedly.

They all knew what would happen once a pure being lost all its purity. It was similar to damnation, only much slower and more painful. The darkness ate away at your soul, leaving and sparing nothing, until you became an empty shell of darkness. Feeling nothing, the body then ceases to function and the life force would drain away until there was only the dead body.

Ryou bit his lip and looked down at his lap, eyes burning.

"We should leave," Kurama said gently, pulling Hiei away with him. "The three of you may need some time alone."

And they went outside. As soon as the door closed, the tears cascaded. Ryou wrenched away from Seto and Ryuuji's arms, curling himself up, arms practically forcing his head into his knees. He sobbed and cried hoarsely and it was all the other two could do not to feel the same pain. Any pain they felt, he would feel too and that would not bode well.

Outside, the weather changed dramatically. It had been a clear day and now the sky was overrun by storm clouds. Rain pelted down in massive sheets, soaking everything in a matter of seconds. The roads were seen to flood and the winds picked up, the temperature rising so that the humidity was near unbearable. It was suddenly stifling in the room.

"Ryou, koi . . ."

"Leave me alone!" Ryou screamed. "I'm going to die anyway! There's no point in calling a person 'love' if they're going to die!"

"_DAMARE!_" Seto roared over the cries and the storm outside. Ryou looked up at him in surprise, ceasing to cry. The CEO dropped to his knees beside the bed, looking lost. "Don't . . . don't say there's no point to what we're saying . . . that's what I thought when – when my birth father laying dying in hospital after the car crash . . . I . . . I still regret it now."

"Seto, I – "

"He's right, koi," Ryuuji said softly and firmly. "We can't abandon you when you need us most. You've always been the one to keep us together. We can't let you go just like that, not without a fight."

Ryou hiccupped and then blushed, which caused the other two to smirk. He swatted them over the head for doing so and the three of them started laughing. They would fight, instead of accepting his death, and for that he was grateful.

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End Chapter Four

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Author's Notes:

Things went quick in this chapter, I don't know why. But the rest of the story would basically be about how they help Ryou fight this 'fading' thing. Marik/Ryou hasn't shown yet (GOMEN!) but I think there will be some sort of twisted version of this pairing later on. TWISTED I TELL YOU!

Um . . . yeah . . . review?

Relinquished


	5. Old Flames

**Tenshi no Kokoro**

Disclaimer: refer to first chapter

Summary: Chimera has been defeated and the Angel has emerged. But now the Angel seeks only to destroy evil. Seto and Ryuuji, aided by a reborn Marik, must overcome it to find their lover. S/R/R, YY/YB, YM/R

Warnings: I forgot about this . . . deaths and lots of them! Fluff, some swearing (but not much), weirdness of character, OOC and OC's who just appear for a brief period of time before I get rid of them. Anou . . . if there are more, then I'll tell you guys when I get to it, ne?

Responses to Reviews and Author's Notes:

invisible-eyes: yeah, I couldn't have the three of them being separated all the time! That's not my style . . . anyway, you get fluff in this chapter!

andromeda90: believe me, your stories _are_ that good! I don't think Anubis knew about what was to come when he said he wanted to be Angel ... raises eyebrow at Anubis questioningly Anubis: Hey, don't look at me! I thought it would be cool....

Elle-Fate2x1-2: I totally agree with you. Ryou-chan can't die (not until I've wrung him dry of all the torture I can get out, anyway!!), but no, the Angel is not stupid - not in a literal sense, anyway. In my fics, you can always guarantee that Seto will make Ryou feel better ..... in more ways than one smirks Teensy weensy fluffiness for you in this chapter!

lilmatchgirl007: frowns in concentration I guess you could be right....the Angel would seem a little bit like Yami Marik, ne? I'd never thought of it that way...and you'll get more Bakura (aka Anubis) in the next chapter. Sorry about this one though, I just had to pave the way for his debut...

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Chapter Five: Old Flames

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As soon as word reached Marik about the recovery of Ryou's person, the former demon took of to see him. They hadn't properly talked for a long time now and they probably still had a few matters to clear up. A faint frown touched his lips as he remembered back to when he had almost drowned Ryou in the River of Lost Memories. He looked up when his feet came to a stop, finally noticing that he had arrived at the Kaiba Mansion.

"Can I help you, sir?"

The speaker was a middle-aged man dressed in a casual polo shirt and pants, with a distinct bald patch on the top of his head. But no matter how casually he dressed, Marik guessed that his outfit would be a hundred times more expensive than his own.

"Uh yeah," he said hesitantly. "I want to see Kaiba Seto."

"Kaiba-sama is busy at the moment," the man replied.

"Oh – um . . . then is Otogi Ryuuji here?"

"Otogi-sama is at school."

"Then do you know when they'll be – not busy?"

"No sir." He looked at Marik's school uniform. "But Bakura-sama is here. I am the head butler. Perhaps you would like me to show you to Bakura-sama's room, where he might be able to tell you when Kaiba-sama is free."

"Aa, arigatou."

Marik followed the curiously dressed 'head butler' of the mansion inside. Weren't butlers supposed to wear those fancy-looking suits and pompous little towel things on their arms to make them look important? Deciding not to ask the question in case it offended the man, Marik followed him quietly.

The mansion was huge – insert mental slap on the forehead for being an idiot. That was the whole _point_ of a mansion. His mind seemed to have given up on him sporadically since his rebirth so that he had these periods of idiocy every so often. Unfortunately for him, it did not bode well, especially since 'every so often' could most likely be translated into 'almost always'.

Anyway, as he was led up the second flight of stairs, Marik started counting the doorways one corridor contained. He passed five before they turned left and then there was another ten. Then there was yet _another_ flight of stairs. The Kaiba Mansion didn't look like it had three levels from the outside. But anyway, on the top floor – or at least, what Marik _hoped_ was the top floor – there were eight double doors.

On the closest one, there was a big sign in bright colours that read 'Mokuba's Room'. It was decorated with pictures of Duel Monsters, a popular card game. The door next to it had 'KS' in gold on it that served as door handles. It was Seto's room, obviously. Across the corridor from it was a similar door, only that it had a simple, metal sign on it that read 'Otogi Ryuuji'. The door next to that was devoid of decoration.

"Come this way," the butler motioned for him. "Bakura-sama is resting within his room. He has not been feeling well for the past days since he returned to us."

He was led to the door a bit beyond that, which felt strangely oppressing as Marik approached it. There was no light coming from within it and there was no elaborate marking as to whom it belonged to, even though the butler had told him that Ryou was inside. The butler walked over to it, knocking quietly.

"Bakura-sama? There is someone who wishes to see you."

Marik didn't hear a reply, but it was obvious that one had been given because the butler gave him the nod to go inside. He approached the door quietly, pushing it open. The butler had somehow managed to get to the other end of the corridor while he had been doing so.

--------

The inside wasn't exactly dark, but it wasn't exactly bright either. Well, not artificially bright anyway. The lights hadn't been turned on and the curtains of the huge windows had been opened a small fraction to let a trickle of light in. Ryou sat in a huge armchair by the window, looking small and fragile in his light blue robe.

"Konnichiwa, Marik," he greeted gently, smiling.

"Ryou."

The albino motioned for him to pull up another chair from a bit further away and sit down. He did so quietly, eyes still intent on Ryou's face. He was pale and withdrawn, but still the same, beautiful Ryou he had met in Britain three years ago. But now his love belonged to someone else – two someones, in fact.

"Was that really the head butler?" Marik blurted out before he could stop himself. He mentally smacked himself again.

But Ryou laughed. It had been so long since Marik had heard him laugh.

"Yes, that was really the head butler," the albino answered in amusement. "He just got to work."

"Oh – this late?"

"It's actually still school time, Marik," Ryou reminded him. The clock above the fireplace read 10 o'clock. "He works late into the night, so he comes later."

"Oh."

Ryou stretched his arms out to him. He let the other boy hug him tightly.

"I've missed you, Marik."

"Me too."

He didn't want to let him go, even when Ryou had dropped his arms down, signalling that he wanted to break away. He was lost in the albino's lavender scent and frail form. The guilt that rose to his throat gave way to the first tears he had cried for several millennia.

"Marik . . .? Daijoubu ka?" Ryou asked gently.

"D-Daijoubu," he whispered hoarsely. "I – I don't know what came over me."

Pulling away, the first thing Marik saw was Ryou's concerned gaze. His eyes had changed from dark, warm brown to ice blue after the transformation. The depths of his hues were clear in colour, but a veil that covered any possible emotions Ryou might have shown shrouded them. It was as if the other presence within his body didn't want him to give anything away.

"How is this – _condition_ going?" he asked tentatively.

"Mou hitori no boku?" Ryou queried quietly, looking at him. "The Angel, Marik? Is that who you're asking about?"

"Onegai – don't talk about that thing as if he were really part of you."

"But he is, Marik." Ryou's eyes were lit with a dim sadness. "None of us have any control over that. He is part of me and over last night and this morning, I've had plenty of time to come to terms with it."

"It's my fault, isn't it?"

"Nani?"

"It's my fault that you're . . . that you've got it inside you, isn't it?"

Ryou sank back in the armchair, looking melancholy. Marik almost took this as a yes, especially when the boy dropped his arms back to his sides. He straightened silently, ready to leave, when Ryou spoke again.

"You didn't, Marik." His voice was soft and distant. "No, he's always been there, only he had been – dormant – for a time. Your death in the Otherworld was what triggered him to awaken, that was all. I can't blame you for it."

He looked up and into Marik's surprised eyes. They were emotional, but openly honest and sincere with the innocent and yet perpetually wise shine. He remembered all too clearly how he had, in a twisted way, actually loved this Chosen when they had still been on opposite sides. He still did now and it was painfully obvious in his eyes.

"Ryou . . ."

_You must let him take care of him_, the Angel whispered. _He has ulterior motives, Ryou. Let me kill him._

_No, I trust Marik. He won't do anything to me._

_If you insist. Just don't call me for help._

Without further ado, Marik leaned forward and pressed their lips together gently. Ryou stiffened in surprise, unable to react. There had been a time when this touch had been welcome and even longed for, but that was a time long gone. He still retained some affection for the other, of course, but it wasn't the same. It didn't have the same effect on him as it used to and it felt strange. Not at all like when Seto or Ryuuji . . . he trembled.

--------

Marik was lost. He had craved Ryou's sweet and pure taste for a long time now. It was like a drug, you were addicted to it as soon as you tried it. He ran his hands through the soft hair and brought his face closer, delving into his mouth.

The door banged open.

"Marik!" Seto roared, storming in and grabbing the blonde by the collar. "Get away from him at once!"

"What are you doing, Kaiba?"

"Can't you see that Ryou didn't want your advances?" the CEO demanded.

"Nani . . .?"

He turned to look a Ryou, who was staring at him, wide-eyed, looking upset. Guilt rose within him. He had been so caught up in his emotions that he had forgotten all about Ryou's feelings. Seto shoved him away angrily and went to Ryou's side. The albino reached out and sought his arms. Marik felt his heart wrench as Seto gathered the albino in his arms tenderly, soothing him.

"G-Gomen," he muttered, feeling tears prickle the back of his eyes. "Gomen."

He rushed out of the room while Seto continued to hold Ryou protectively while the albino trembled. Ryou didn't need him anymore – he had Seto and Ryuuji now. He would only be in their way. From somewhere deep inside, he felt angry at the fact that Ryou had been denied to him. But this anger was smothered by the pain and the guilt he felt for doing this and knowing it wasn't right.

--------

"Sh . . . daijoubu," Seto whispered soothingly.

He hadn't been aware that Marik was inside the mansion until he had entered Ryou's room and interrupted their conversation through his mental link. During their conversation, he had kept quiet and let them sort out a few things from the past. He knew they needed it. But a few minutes after their conversation ended, Ryou called out for help and he seemed scared and confused.

That was when he realized that Marik was trying to force himself on Ryou. The demon was still obviously in love with Ryou and hadn't given up on him, even when he knew that Ryou no longer felt the same way. Out of anger and of protectiveness, Seto barged into the room and pulled him off.

"Seto," Ryou whimpered. "Gomen – I should have stopped him."

"Iie, Ryou. You're still weak and you can't attack powerless people with what you possess. I know you would try to stop him if you could."

"Gomen nasai, Seto." Ryou looked around the room. "The barriers are broken, aren't they? The disturbance of a mortal . . ."

"No problem, when Ryuuji-tachi comes back, we'll set it up again." Seto kissed his hand gently. "I'm glad I stayed home from school."

"Will you stay with me? I – the Angel is stirring again and something might happen. I don't want to be alone."

"Of course."

--------

Ryuuji was on his way back to the mansion from school, having decided to take the rest of the day off. Besides, he wanted to see Ryou and there was nothing he wouldn't do to see him. When the teacher asked, he would just use his born talent for charming and lying his way out of situations.

And now he was roaring down the street on his motorcycle, feeling cool, calm and in control of himself. He went back to thinking about Ryou and the Angel, the silent challenge to him. _You have not won me as yet, Chosen_. What did that mean? Did the Angel acknowledge him as an enemy, or a rival to be beaten?

_Ryuuji, where are you?_ Seto's voice came from over the intercom on his motorbike.

"Seto? I'm coming home now – almost at the gates."

_Good._

"Daijoubu ka?"

_Marik was here_, Seto sounded grim. _He was trying to force himself on Ryou._

"NANI?" Ryuuji exclaimed. "Kisama . . ."

The barriers around the room are broken, so you have to get here quickly. Ryou can feel the Angel stirring inside.

"Wakarimashita."

Swearing softly to himself, Ryuuji accelerated with frightening speed and shot off down the street towards the Kaiba Mansion. He swore not only because the Angel was stirring again, but also because Marik Ishtar – who had claimed to be reformed – was attempting to do what would possibly eventually lead to the Angel killing him. Not to mention that he had tried to commit the act on Ryou. Anyone who touched Ryou in a way he didn't like meant they were going to get hell from him – Otogi Ryuuji, Ryou's self-assigned protector.

But he was also slightly shaken, and a bit frightened, that he was actually feeling a little tingle of excitement at the prospect of seeing the Angel face to face again. His nerves went jittery, as if he were looking forward to the meeting and the mental image of the Angel himself involuntarily showed up.

--------

With a shaking hand, Marik turned the doorknob to his apartment door and pushed it open, stumbling inside. Malik wasn't home yet – school wouldn't finish for another couple of hours – and Ishizu was at work. He was home alone.

He used to like being alone because then he'd be able to do whatever without getting told off by Ishizu. But right now, he would have preferred it if someone was at home to keep his mind away from the voices in his head, reminding him over and over about what he had done . . . how unforgivable it was.

Why did I do it? I knew it wasn't right. It didn't get anywhere . . . but what if Kaiba hadn't come in at the moment he did? What if Kaiba hadn't been at home?

I would have taken him, Marik concluded in his mind, horror filling him. I would have taken him, even against his wishes – I would have raped him.

The last thought left him in horror. He wasn't – he couldn't . . . this was just not right. How could he have even formed the thought about raping Ryou? The boy was much too important to him. He slammed the door harshly and dropped to the floor, head in his hands.

I – I'm so sorry . . .

--------

Yami was now accustomed to the mortal way of life and he found it a great contrast to his previous lives as a ruthless Pharaoh and a vengeful demon. Some times, the experience was highly enjoyable. As a human, he could feel what it was like to have a normal life, not one that was overshadowed by paranoia about who was going to have a go at his life next. That change was a welcome one.

However, the down side to all of it was his loss of power. He could no longer protect himself against any unexpected visitors – more or less still after his blood. And, at this point in time, almost everyone he knew or who knew him, were aware of the fact that he could bleed very well.

And it was after he finished work and walking back home when one of those 'unexpected visitors' decided that he needed a little company.

"You adopt the ways of the humans you hate so much. I'm surprised, Yami-_sama_," a voice sneered.

The former Pharaoh whipped around, but came face to face with nothing. He blinked a few times in confusion, before turning back and beginning to walk again. No sooner had he taken three steps did an odd sensation flood through him. It was cold . . . and numbing. He felt himself falling into oblivion; the darkness consuming his vision as his mind was drenched with the icy feeling.

"Sleep well, _Pharaoh_," the same voice hissed. "You'll be doing a lot of that from now on. Haga will use your body well."

_Haga . . ._

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End Chapter Five

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Author's Notes:

Well, I decided to stop the bantering nonsense Seto, Ryou and Ryuuji are doing to fill up the chapters. Yami's gonna get his turn in the limelight! The Otherworld is back for revenge on Yami and the Four Kings of Chimera!

REVIEW!

Relinquished


	6. The New Chimera

**Tenshi no Kokoro**

Disclaimer: refer to first chapter

Summary: Chimera has been defeated and the Angel has emerged. But now the Angel seeks only to destroy evil. Seto and Ryuuji, aided by a reborn Marik, must overcome it to find their lover. S/R/R, YY/YB, YM/R

Warnings: not much fluff in this chapter, I'm afraid. I'm concentrating more on Yami and Anubis this chapter, so there may not be as much Seto, Ryou or Ryuuji. I mean, sure, they're easily the best characters in YGO, but you gotta give the Pharaoh and the Tomb Robber some credit, right?

Responses to Reviews and Author's Notes:

Elle-Fate2x1-2: yes, I feel sorry for Marik too! But there's no time to be sad for him at the moment! Yami's in danger!

lilmatchgirl007: hmm....maybe the Angel _should_ try and kill Marik! Then again, he's under orders _not_ to. Yami does seem more the dominant type, doesn't he? Well, change is sometimes a good thing!

Ril: Ryuuji/Angel...maybe I should put that in the summary...' just kidding. Yes, bad bad Marik! And Yami.....well, your putting him to sleep idea was pretty interesting, though I had something else in mind..but your one worked better!

andromeda90: I think it's time for Chimera to rise and take control of their lives, ne?

Maruken: welcome back! I was wondering where you went... anyway, I thought you might have enjoyed the police thing! Angel=Yami Bakura. Interesting...Bug dude is going to be more 'powerful' in a sense in this part...

ENJOY!

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Chapter Six: The New Chimera

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Anubis paced the apartment worriedly, wondering why Yami wasn't home yet. He had finished work early, after all, and they had plans for tonight. Yami wasn't one to break promises without good reason – let alone no reasons at all – so Anubis was worried about him.

_Give him ten more minutes_, a voice inside his head reasoned. _Ten more minutes and if he doesn't show – then you can panic._

Another voice in his head joined in.

_He's a grown man, you dolt_, it said exasperatedly._ He can take care of himself. What's there to panic about?_

The first voice was back again.

_But you never know . . . with all those attacks going on and you guys without your powers . . . something might happen._

They sounded oddly like Kaiba and Otogi for some strange reason. Anubis shook his head to clear it. He must be pretty screwed if he was hearing their voices inside his head. It was either that or –

"F!" he yelled. "What are you guys doing inside my mind?"

_We wanted to talk_, Otogi's voice sighed in exasperation. _Hiei sensed some sort of power release just then and he said that Yami disappeared._

"Talk?" Anubis asked, not realising the full situation. Then it hit him. "_WHAT_?! Yami's _disappeared_? How do you know?"

Kaiba's voice was a touch impatient._ That's a very pointless question._

"Whatever," the albino said, brushing that aside. "Now what?"

_You should come over_, Otogi suggested. _We're suspecting some Otherworldly intervention. You can't do much on your own._

_But don't panic_, Kaiba ordered. _Like I said, Yami's a grown man. He knows how to keep his head, so you should too. Just get here quickly._

"Ugh, all right."

He grabbed his jacket and keys, muttering to himself. Keep his head? Easier said than done. He was fully aware of their situation. Yami was defenceless against any Otherworld powers now. If something weren't done quickly enough, he would be most likely dead.

_Stop thinking so negative_, Otogi reprimanded.

"Get outta my head, Otogi," Anubis growled. "I'm coming, okay?"

The only problem now was who in the Otherworld had they pissed off so badly that they would seek Yami for revenge? He snorted disdainfully. There were too many to count and it would probably take _forever_ to narrow down the possibilities. They didn't have forever. They had as much as Yami could take.

Which, compared to his demonic life, was very little.

_Don't worry, we'll take care of the tracking._

--------

"_D-Destroy them?"_

"_Yes destroy them! Didn't you hear me the first time?"_

"_B-But . . . Yami-sama . . ."_

"_I said _kill them_," Yami hissed dangerously. "I don't care if they're your pets, or your lovers or anything. They have no place here. It's either their life, or yours. Choose wisely, Haga."_

Yami's eyes shot open. His whole form was trembling and drenched in sweat, but he couldn't move. He strained his neck to look down at the rest of him, finding himself in chains and not in very good shape either. His arms looked almost as if the circulation had been cut off from them and his legs were numb of feeling. He felt as if his whole body was pressing down into the cold, damp ground he was lying on, as if an unseen pressure was forcing him down.

_Where am I? The last thing I remember was walking home . . ._

He groaned as he tried to lift his head again, fighting against the pressure.

"Welcome, all mighty Pharaoh Atemu," a nasal, dry voice wheezed. "Or, is it now just plain Yami?"

A small male figure came into looming into view. The guy had grass green hair and horn-rimmed glasses that covered most of his sneering face. His breathing seemed laboured, but that was probably only because he seemed to have a perpetually blocked nose. Yami took a moment to try and recognise him.

"Your name is . . .?"

"Haga," his captor supplied with a sneer. "Insector Haga."

"Insector Haga . . ." his eyes widened in recognition.

"Glad to know you've finally remembered me, Pharaoh," Haga drawled sarcastically, ruined by his nasal voice. "I would have thought someone like me didn't _deserve_ for an almighty Pharaoh like you to remember."

"What do you want?" Yami demanded.

Haga clucked his tongue disapprovingly.

"You're in no position to start demanding anything, Yami. As you can see, _you're_ the one in chains. The only one giving the orders around here is me."

Yami recalled a distant time, several thousands of years ago, when he had first started Chimera. Being the Pharaoh figure he was, Yami had ordered many of his underlings to kill off things that meant the most to them as a sign of their loyalty. Insector Haga – as implied by his name – was extraordinarily fond of insects. It was just his misfortune that Yami _hated_ them.

By killing off his precious collection of insects, Haga had sealed the deal and sold his soul to the devil – or, in this case, Yami. He became a dark creature – a parasite demon – and he was treated like all underlings had been. Badly.

"You should see just how pathetic you look right now," Haga mused. "Once such a fearless and ruthless leader, now in chains at the feet of one of your lowliest subjects. Tell me, how does it feel?"

Judging from the heaviness of the atmosphere, Yami deduced that they were in the Otherworld. For mortals and other normal beings, the Otherworld was much too dense for them to exist properly. The force of gravity was much stronger here than in the real world. It would be near impossible to stand up here, let alone escape. Yami cursed silently.

Haga, obviously not enjoying being ignored, kicked him in the ribs.

"I asked a question!" he yelled. "Answer it!"

"Is it revenge you want?" Yami asked quietly.

"Nani?" Haga growled.

"Revenge," Yami repeated. "You captured me for revenge, didn't you? Did you want revenge for all those precious insects I made you kill? It's not a great loss, Haga. Don't be so childish."

This was, of course, just to goad him. But he _did_ want to know. He had committed so many foul acts during the course of his reign that he wasn't even sure what people came for when they wanted revenge.

"What would _you_ know about great losses?" Haga shrieked, kicking him again. "You were a heartless bastard!" Another kick was delivered. "My insects – the ones you made me kill – they were my life's work! I _loved_ them! But you wouldn't know anything about love, would you Yami? You're just a heartless, emotionless and ruthless bastard!"

Every sentence, or statement, was punctuated with a harsh kick to his ribs. Yami, being in a weakened state with no powers, could only bear it. Each kick rammed into his ribcage, knocking the wind out of him. The last kick cracked a rib and he groaned.

"Yes, feel the pain," Haga hissed. "I can do much more."

He raised his face upwards and laughed, shrieking at the top of his lungs.

"Long live the New Chimera!"

--------

"Hiei! Any news?"

The short, black-haired teen frowned in concentration. He spread out his conscience and swept over the entire physical plane, searching for any signs of Yami's presence. When that didn't work, he tried the first level of the Otherworld, then the next and then the next.

"What's he doing?" Jounouchi asked.

"Tracking down Yami," Kurama said softly. "It's his special power. He can search for one mind among billions and pinpoint their exact location."

"But Yami doesn't have any powers," Yugi pointed out. "How can he -?"

"Essentially, it's your life _force_ that is being tracked down," Kurama explained. "When Hiei searches, he looks for a single _mind_, a life force, among the billions and billions in both worlds. For us Chosen, our minds appear to be a blue light and the more powerful we are, the brighter the light is. Yami, on the other hand, is a human now, without any powers. His mind should be a white one."

"Pale red, actually," Hiei corrected, eyes still focused.

"Pale red?"

"He was a demonic being," the other replied. "That memory still stains his mind now, because he has not, in all essence, become fully human. There is still a part of him that remembers being a demon and that's what makes his, and the other members of Chimera, a pale red."

"Human minds are white," Kurama explained to a baffled Yugi and Jounouchi. "We Chosen are blue. A demon's mind is red – for blood, you understand."

"What about the Gods? And Gaea?"

"The Gods are inconceivable to anyone. Their presence is too overwhelming to be expressed in any colour. As for Gaea – we cannot identify his mind personally because none of us have ever been in direct contact with him."

Hiei growled angrily and stood up. Kurama, Yugi and Jounouchi looked at him worriedly, wondering what was wrong. He stalked over to the door and yanked it open, slamming it behind him as he exited. The others followed him outside.

He went straight down the corridor from the drawing room of the Kaiba Mansion and upstairs, still not speaking a single word. Kurama had worked with him for several years now and had only seen him so angry and frustrated in few very severe cases. This must have been one of them.

"Kaiba!" he barked, wrenching the study door open.

"Nanda, Hiei?" Seto snapped.

The CEO was sitting at his desk, shuffling through papers and working on his computer. Ryou and Ryuuji were on one of the couches, the albino asleep. The three of them had erected a reinforced barrier around the Angel in Ryou's subconscious; the effort leaving Ryou drained. He leaned against Ryuuji's shoulder, asleep, while the game creator had one arm around his shoulders and the other typing on a laptop on his lap.

"We need to use the system."

"Can't you find him?"

"He's too deep into the Otherworld for me to find him!" Hiei snarled. "Unless you can find a way for me to penetrate Cerberus' barrier."

"What?"

"You heard me, Otogi." Hiei rounded on Ryuuji. "Yami's been taken down past the sixth level of the Otherworld and into the realm of Cerberus. He's at the gates of Hell itself. If we don't track him down fast, we're going to lose him."

--------

Screams echoed through the oppressing chambers as the sound of whips cracking grew louder. Yami was dragged by two huge figures towards the screams, his whole body feeling heavy. The effort to stand was a serious one, and the sweat drenched his body as he moved.

"AH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

_Who's that screaming . . .?_

The chamber didn't have a door, but an archway led into it. The large figure of a blonde, ragged looking man was suspended above the ground by shackles around his wrist, which were hanging from a chain from the ceiling. He was stripped almost bare except for the loincloth and blood was running freely from his wounds.

The one with the whip was a stout, purple-haired demon with slightly pointed teeth and a wild expression on his face. Each time he brought the whip down with a sharp crack, he would release a roar that sounded much like a dinosaur. The roars were actually laughter, but the uncanny resemblance to that of the extinct reptiles was unnerving.

"Haga!" the demon crowed. "What do you think?"

He motioned gleefully to his half-dead victim, who was slipping in and out of consciousness. A pool of blood accumulated underneath his feet from the whiplashes and cuts into his flesh. Haga smirked.

"Beautiful, Ryuzaki," he complimented. "Make him scream."

_Ryuzaki_ . . . Yami thought. _Dinosaur Ryuzaki . . ._

He was dragged away again, no longer even putting in the effort to walk by himself. It was too hard. He let himself be physically towed away from the chamber to their destination, thoughts wandering.

How did two incompetent demon novices become so powerful? Insector Haga and Dinosaur Ryuzaki had both been his subordinates at one point, when Chimera was still strong. But he had thought that the cult had disbanded after the Angel appeared inside the Otherworld.

"Do you approve of the facilities, Yami-sama?" Haga asked him mockingly. "I know you haven't seen them all yet, but I'll be happy to show you the rest of them. After all, the New Chimera must exceed the first!"

He gloated openly, clapping his hands with childish excitement. They moved further down the corridor, Yami growing increasingly weary and his breath more laboured with each passing step. He wouldn't be able to hold out much longer. Not only was the darkness overpowering here, it provided such a dense shield against all probing powers that was he was sure even Hiei could not penetrate.

_But you guys _have_ to find me . . . otherwise it may be too late. Chimera has been resurrected and it seems more bloodthirsty than before._

_I can't . . . hold on . . . much longer . . ._

_. . . Anubis . . ._

--------

The said albino had just arrived at the Kaiba Mansion, out of breath. He had run all the way up three flights of stairs to get to the study, not even bothering to wait for the butler to show him in. He barged inside and six pairs of eyes swivelled around to stare at him.

"You're here."

"How's the search going?" Anubis demanded. "Have you found him?"

They exchanged worried looks, reluctant to speak. The one who broke the silence surprised them all, voice quiet and tired.

"He's at the Gates of Hell."

Ryuuji jumped as Ryou raised himself from his position on his shoulder. The albino looked at them all tiredly, a tired expression in his pale eyes. Anubis looked at his reincarnation, mouthing wordlessly as Ryou stood up and half-staggered over to him.

"Ryou . . . maybe you shouldn't move," Seto said concernedly.

"Iie, Seto, daijoubu." Ryou reached out and touched Anubis' cheek. "Yami has been taken to the Gates of Hell by the New Chimera. You must go to him."

"The Gates of Hell?" Anubis breathed.

"We must go immediately."

"Dame, Ryou," Seto said suddenly, stepping forward. "You're staying."

Ryou turned to look at him, hand dropping from Anubis' cheek. His blue eyes were sad. The CEO looked firm and unwavering in his decision.

"Don't stop me, Seto."

"You're too weak. You're _not_ going."

"I agree." Ryuuji stood. "We can only contain the Angel for so long. What happens when it takes over again? We can't afford to risk it running amok."

Anubis felt the floor tremble ever so slightly and the temperature rose. Ryou was shaking, fists clenched. These points did not escape his two partners, but they stood their ground. Worry for him overrode anything else at the moment. And he _did_ look weaker than usual, almost fragile.

"He will _protect_ me."

"We don't know that for sure, do we?"

"_I_ know. Trust me – he will protect me because if he doesn't, then he won't have a physical body. He _will_ protect me."

There was a note of finality in his voice, a quiet but firm tone. He would not accept anymore arguments. Anubis cleared his throat in the stony silence that followed his last statement.

"Let's go."

--------

End Chapter Six

--------

Author's Notes:

Well . . . Ryou stole a little of the spotlight towards the end, didn't he? I tried not to! I swear I did! He just appeared! (Cries hysterically) I was unaware!

Now that _that's_ over and done with . . . I think I might write the next chapter to 'By Moonlight' now!

REVIEW!

Relinquished


	7. Into the Otherworld

**Tenshi no Kokoro**

Disclaimer: refer to first chapter

Summary: Chimera has been defeated and the Angel has emerged. But now the Angel seeks only to destroy evil. Seto and Ryuuji, aided by a reborn Marik, must overcome it to find their lover. S/R/R, YY/YB, YM/R

Warnings: a bit of fluff in this chapter. Yay ! Ode to Seto/Ryou/Ryuuji fluff! Then again, there's OOC-ness by Marik here (he's got his act together and his brain has returned from eternal jellyfish-ness!). Seto, Ryuuji and Ryou muck around during a tracking-down-Yami-in-the-Otherworld planning session.

Responses to Reviews and Author's Notes:

Cool, I'm back! After all those exams of mine, it's about time I updated ne? Unfortunately, 'By Moonlight' is stuck, so don't be expecting updates on that any time soon. The next chapter to 'Infernal Affairs' would probably be in progress when this is posted and, as you may have seen, 'A Legacy Unfinished' has been discontinued. I may re-continue it later.

Ril: Yeah, I'd hate to be the blonde too! It's Keith ... if no one could guess ... but I didn't elaborate on him, so I wouldn't blame anyone

Elle-Fate2x1-2: I was really, really mad when you told me that Ryou had a smaller part in the series than Ryuzaki and Haga . It's not fair, is it? And you'll be happy to know that Ryou is following along and he's going to play yet another important part.

lilmatchgirl007: 'A spot of trouble' only begins to cover it, my friend. But yes, I suppose he most likely will come out of this in one piece ... relatively. slaps self But don't mind me! I'm just pissed that Ryou has such a small part ...

andromeda90: I tend to drag things on a bit, don't I? grins sheepishly Sorry, habit. And love does weird things to people, so I guess that's what's happened with Seto and Ryuuji ... so protective of their beloved, Angel-inflicted koi . Like I said to lilmatchgirl007, Yami usually comes out with flying colours, so don't worry ...

--------

Chapter Seven: Into the Otherworld

--------

"Marik! Get out here Marik!"

Someone was calling him; Marik could hear them through the deafening silence. But he couldn't move from his position in the corner, where he had kept himself for the past day or so. He couldn't get past the fact that Ryou didn't need him anymore . . . didn't _want_ him.

"MARIK!"

The voice sounded oddly like Anubis.

_Hehehe . . . maybe it's the jackal-headed God, coming to claim my soul for being so idiotic . . . I only wish._

"What's that noise, niisan?"

Malik came down the corridor, throwing a concerned glance in Marik's direction, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He had just pulled an all-nighter in order to study for an upcoming Biology exam and he was woken up by the sound of harsh and urgent banging on their front door.

His older brother didn't answer, only stared blankly at his knees. Malik shrugged, going to the door dressed in his pyjamas.

"Nanda kore?" he muttered.

Standing in the doorway was Anubis, panting heavily as if he had just run a marathon. Behind him was the Chosen gang, looking grim faced Ryou tired and worn-out. Malik eyed the albinos hesitantly, wondering whether or not it was a good idea to let Marik see them.

"Uh, guys, niisan isn't really _feeling_ too well," he said slowly.

"Shimatta," Anubis cursed. "We can't afford to have him out of shape _now_. It's an emergency and we need to see the two of you immediately."

"You've got my attention," Malik assured him. "Come in?"

"There really isn't any time," Ryou declined. "Is Marik inside?"

As Malik nodded, Ryou passed him and into the apartment. He went straight to the living room and to the corner where Marik was huddled. His icy eyes softened at the wretched mess the former demon had made himself. Saddened that he had caused it, Ryou knelt down in front of him.

"Marik . . . Marik, I know you can hear me." He took Marik's face into his hands. "Look at me, Marik."

"Ryou . . .?"

Marik looked at him, guilt written all over his face. Seto and Ryuuji were in the doorway, but didn't go any further at Ryou's bidding. He turned back to Marik, touching his face gently.

"I don't blame you, Marik," he whispered. "It wasn't your fault. I should have explained where we stood. Gomen, Marik. Gomen." He watched as the guilt lifted from Marik's face. "But now we have something very important to do. Yami has been kidnapped and taken to the Gates of Hell."

"NANI?!"

"That's what I said," Anubis said to Malik dryly.

"You don't say?" Malik murmured back.

Ryou helped Marik get to his feet, giving a wane little smile. They, and Malik, rushed to the door. Seto and Ryuuji watched Ryou carefully as he led Marik out the door, the smile still on his face. They understood why he had kept close to Marik, but it didn't stop that tiny rush of jealousy.

--------

"_Ne Yami, remember when we were still part of Chimera?"_

"_Aa, I remember. What's with the sudden questions?"_

"_I was trying to remember when we first met . . ."_

Yami closed his eyes as he recalled a random session of pillow talk he had had with Anubis a while back. It was a few weeks after they had been reborn, when Ryou was still avoiding them. Anubis' question had been random at the time and they had spent a while trying to outdo each other in recalling the exact details.

"_It was in the Otherworld!" Anubis said._

"_Of course it was genius." Yami rolled his eyes. "In the Garden."_

"_I had just been brought there."_

"_Baka touzoku got lost."_

"_I had just gotten there!"_

He concealed a grin. Oh yeah, he remembered how they had met very well. He had been wandering through the Garden of Lost Memories, trying to find other demons he could convince to join him in their revenge against the Gods. He hadn't wanted just _any_ demon, he had wanted ones that would be of use to him.

And Anubis had just been dumped into the Garden, having been damned by the Gods. He had been filled with loathing for the deities, burning with the thirst for revenge, the perfect kind of demon he needed.

"_I saved you."_

"_Pfft, yeah right, Pharaoh. I didn't need saving."_

"_Hothead almost drowned in the River, if I hadn't pulled him back."_

"_I was thirsty."_

"_Suuure."_

They had hit off, literally, with a series of scuffles (Yami always gaining the upper hand). After a while, Yami 'broke in' the albino demon. They worked together afterward – if you could call trying to beat each other up while taking over the Otherworld 'working together' – and soon became a fierce gang feared in all levels of the Otherworld. They recruited every kind of demon they came across: parasites, leeches, wind, water, fire, earth demons, shape shifters, conjurers – all sorts. They gave themselves the name 'Chimera' because of the huge variety that made up their terror gang.

_But we left that all behind in the Chamber of Judgement,_ he thought. _We're no longer Chimera and we're not getting our revenge on the Gods anymore. Heh, now we're on the Chosen side, fighting for the good of the world._

_And now we have a new enemy – an old ally. Insector Haga and Dinosaur Ryuzaki want to get their revenge on _us_, by forming a New Chimera._

_Anubis, minna, get here quickly._ He opened his eyes again. _Or it may be too late_.

--------

"Are we going to Domino Wharf again?"

"Iie. This is a special portal."

They were all sitting comfortably with one of Seto's limousines, one which had the largest TC networked computer Jounouchi and Yugi had ever seen. Marik sat at the front with the Elites, Malik, Anubis, Kurama and Hiei sat in the second row while Malik, Jounouchi and Yugi sat in the back. The three Elites were typing quickly into holographic keypads in front of them, fingers flashing over the keys and brows furrowed in concentration.

"There's no way we can open a portal directly into the seventh level," Ryuuji said, closing down a window. "The lowest we can manage is the third."

"The network systems have only records of travel down to there, that's why," Seto replied. "No one's ever tried going any lower. But if we factor in the density of the third level, increase it by a factor of six, we can find a way to balance out our own body densities and control the gravity around us."

"It's only an assumption that the seventh level's density is six times that of the third," Ryou interjected softly. "We don't know that for sure."

As they worked, Marik watched Ryou. The albino was frowning in concentration, sweating slightly on the temple, while his face remained pale. Sometimes he winced ever so slightly, but it didn't escape the former demon's watchful eye. There was a pain in his chest, one that Ryou was doing his best to ignore so he could keep working.

"_Kaiba, Otogi,_" a voice boomed out from the screen.

Kurama, Hiei and the other three straightened in attention.

"Gaea-sama."

The voice seemed to shift.

"_Welcome back, Bakura_."

Ryou ducked his head.

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Gaea-sama," he murmured.

"_I have a new assignment for two of you_," Gaea said. "_The two who take this job will have to fly over to Australia immediately_."

"Australia?" Kurama shifted. "Demo, Gaea-sama . . . we're in the middle of a very important task. You see, Yami has been captured . . ."

"_I am aware of what has happened_," Gaea interrupted. "_However, Australia's matter is urgent. The agents over there have been killed and the remaining one has no way of protecting herself._"

"Only _one_ remains?" Ryuuji sounded shocked. "But Australia had an average of six per state and territory! What could kill forty-seven agents so quickly?"

"_It is believed to be connected with Chimera_."

"But we disbanded _ages_ ago!" Anubis protested.

"_A gang has called themselves the New Chimera and plans to destroy all members of The Chosen all around the world – starting with Australia. When all agents have been killed, then they can take over our world_."

--------

Hiei and Kurama sped off on their motorcycles, Jounouchi and Yugi following close behind on their own. The two agents decided that the three Elites were the ones needed to track down Yami, so they would handle the case. Jounouchi and Yugi were their apprentices and the depth to which they were travelling in the Otherworld was far too dangerous for two novices.

"Let's just hope they can manage over in Australia," Ryuuji muttered.

"They will," Ryou assured him. "I know Kurama and he's no pushover."

A glass of water floated in front of their faces before a hand snatched it from the air. Seto, still staring intently at the screen, downed the water in a single gulp, before floating the glass back to the miniature fridge. Ryou, who was sitting next to him, slapped him lightly over the head.

"Itai!"

"Don't waste your energy using cheap tricks," Ryou scolded. He frowned when Seto kept rubbing his head. "That can't have hurt you."

"It didn't," Seto replied. He smirked. "You messed up my hair."

He ruffled the albino's one in return, earning a cry of protest from him, followed by light laughter. Marik and Malik had moved to the second row with Anubis and were watching them muck around. Malik glanced over at his older brother worriedly.

"Daijoubu ka, niisan?"

"Ee," Marik replied. His eyes were soft. "I haven't heard him laugh in ages."

"But aren't you –?"

"Jealous?" Malik nodded. "Oh yes, but just a little. I did a lot of thinking after I left the mansion the other day. I'll probably still love him, but from afar. He's found two people who would never hurt him or betray him like I have and they make him happy. He loves them."

Ryou winced and fell back against Ryuuji, who held him and mock-glared at Seto for hurting him. The CEO pulled Ryou back against him and they proceeded to play a small tug-o-war game. Marik sighed.

"Ryou can bring out the best in everyone. He's done that to me already and he's doing it to Kaiba and Otogi. Everyone who comes in contact with him has been changed for the better. It's the most I can do now to repay him for changing and forgiving me for all the things I've done to let him be with whoever he chooses."

"Snap out of it, you three!" Anubis growled. "We've got to save Yami!"

"He started it!" Ryuuji and Ryou said in unison, pointing at Seto.

"Did not."

They returned to their screens, fingers once again darting over their keypads. The limousine returned to silence for a few minutes afterwards. Finally, Ryou gave a small exclamation.

"I've got it," he whispered. "Kami-sama . . ."

"Nani?"

"Open a computer to the _centre_ of the Otherworld," Seto said aloud, reading from Ryou's thoughts. "It's so simple."

"The centre?" Malik repeated incredulously. "But wasn't that destroyed when the Angel first appeared?"

"Oh no, the centre can never be destroyed," Ryuuji said, now seeming excited. "The centre is the core of the Otherworld's existence. As long as the Otherworld exists, there will always be a centre. It regenerates itself if any damage occurs."

"So what are we waiting for?" Anubis demanded. "Open the portal!"

"I'm two steps ahead of you, Anubis," Ryou replied with a smile.

He hit a single key and leaned back.

"Welcome," Seto said, "to the centre of the Otherworld."

--------

"IYAAAAAAAAA!"

Yami's hoarse cry echoed throughout the cavernous halls, making every head turn in the direction of the large double doors that closed off the torture chamber. At the door, Haga smirked to himself, absently petting the shell of a newly discovered and much loved insect pet.

The torture chamber was unlike any other torture chamber seen before. Those usually had material weapons, like racks and whips, but this was a specialised chamber. It could sense what it was its victim feared the most and it would make them hallucinate about it. No matter who it was, as soon as the chamber sensed them, they were powerless against its powers.

"That's enough!" Yami's voice cried. "Stop it! I don't want to see anymore!"

His desperate tone made Haga cackle and walk off. There was nothing better than to see his former master and torturer cry and plea – well, unless it was to see both him _and_ the people important to him cry and plea . . . and taking over the world seemed a pretty tempting idea. One that was going to happen sooner or later, anyway.

--------

"_Heh . . . I'm in a fix now, aren't I, Yami?"_

"Yamero . . . YAMERO!"

_Anubis' bloody form stood in front of him, grinning madly. There was blood running down his, matting his hair, streaking down his arms and torso, as if chunks of his flesh were missing. His red-brown eyes were bright and unsettling, staring out hauntingly from behind his stained white hair._

Yami clenched his eyes shut and clapped his hands over his ears.

"_Come save me, Yami . . ." Anubis whispered, the mad grin still plastered all over his blood-streaked face, ". . . you'll come and save me right?"_

"Ore . . . ore wa . . ." Yami shook his head wildly. "Iie . . . iie . . ."

"_Why not? Don't you love me, Yami?"_

"Ore wa . . . omae wa . . . Anubis janai . . ."

_A bloody hand reached out for him, grasping nothing. Another step closer and the hand passed through Yami's head, drenching him with an icy feeling._

Yami trembled violently, curling himself up further to avoid the hand. He was afraid to open his eyes . . . afraid to see the illusion of Anubis . . . afraid that it was true. The hand passing through him was proof enough that it was an illusion, but . . . as soon as he saw it . . . all his fears that it was true came flooding back, haunting him . . . taunting him . . . reminding him that he was powerless to protect the one he loved.

"Yamero!" he shrieked.

"_Come to me, Yami . . . save me . . ."_

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

"_Join me, Yami . . . we will live together . . . no more having to worry about life's troubles. What say you?"_

"Iie . . . yamero . . ."

"_Koi . . ."_

". . . Iie . . . onegai . . . yamero . . ."

--------

The centre of the Otherworld had not changed. It still had a vortex of different worlds revolving around them, showing the Spirit World, the Real World and the Seven Levels. The only doorway they couldn't see was the one leading into Hell, or the Gates of Cerberus.

"Uh . . . I think I might stand over there," Ryuuji said nervously, eyeing the doorway to the Spirit World. He sidled over to Ryou's other side. "I feel safer."

"Sissy."

Seto distributed something to all of them. Anubis, Malik and Marik blinked, staring down at the grey sphere in their hands. The CEO explained to them that it was a tablet they had to take, one that would balance out the body density and pull of gravity in any place. When they swallowed it, they would be able to go into the seventh level without having trouble moving.

"Swallow _this_ thing?" Malik asked incredulously.

"Well, duh," Ryuuji said, rolling his eyes.

"It's _huge!_"

"And it doesn't even _look_ like a tablet!"

Marik stared at the 'tablet' in his hand. It was the size of a peach stone and it looked fairly painful to swallow. The three former demons watched as Seto, Ryou and Ryuuji calmly broke open the huge tablet and took out a normal looking, white tablet. Rolling his eyes, Ryuuji swallowed it and disposed of the outer part.

"See?"

"The outer part is wax," Ryou explained. "It forms a hollow shell around the tablet itself to prevent any external organisms entering it."

He and Seto swallowed their own ones and threw away the wax shell. Marik, Malik and Anubis blinked, then broke the shells on their own tablets and swallowed the small tablet.

"Everyone ready?" Seto asked.

"Wait a moment . . ." Anubis croaked. He pulled a face as he swallowed. "Ugh . . . never swallow a powder tablet with a dry throat . . . yeah, I'm ready."

"Let's go."

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End Chapter Seven

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Author's Notes:

Yay! Another chapter finished! I was sort of getting stuck already, until I started actually writing the chapter. It's kinda short . . . but I'll make up for it when I have the time. Doesn't matter, does it?

Poor Yami I'm horrible to him.

The wax shell on the tablet thing? It's a fact from China. The Chinese doctors with all the herbs and stuff, they make small, round pills (I used tablets) and encased them inside a larger wax shell to protect it. It's weird, actually.

Anyway, REVIEW!

Relinquished


	8. Chamber of Nightmares

**Tenshi no Kokoro**

Disclaimer: refer to first chapter

Summary: Chimera has been defeated and the Angel has emerged. But now the Angel seeks only to destroy evil. Seto and Ryuuji, aided by a reborn Marik, must overcome it to find their lover. S/R/R, YY/YB, YM/R

Warnings: OOC-ness, Ryou-torture, Yami-torture, Anubis-torture

Responses to Reviews and Author's Notes:

I have more exams coming up so this may be the last update in, perhaps, two or three months? Really sorry about it though, minna, cos I really want to continue it, but studying is essential. 'By Moonlight' will be temporarily discontinued until further notice, but the next chapter is already in progress.

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Chapter Eight: Chamber of Nightmares

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The seventh level of the Otherworld was dark and depressing. Everything around them was bleak, grey and lifeless – dull. There was no colour and Ryuuji was reminded, disconcertingly, of the Spirit World. He edged closer to Ryou, who took his hand with a gentle smile

"Daijoubu yo, Ryuuji."

"These people are just bloody rays of sunshine," Malik muttered.

"What'd you expect? A welcome party and an ice-cream cake with party hats and streamers?" Anubis' voice was heavy with sarcasm.

"Chill man," the blonde muttered. Anubis huffed. "You sound like you have a stick up your arse. I was only trying to _lighten the mood_."

"Well don't."

Seto led the way, his psychic abilities allowing him to reach out in search of Yami's mind and direct them to where he was being held captive. Compared to the rest of the place, the six of them looked bright and colourful, even if they were wearing as subdued colours as they could. Ryou especially stood out with his ice-coloured eyes and Malik and Marik's blonde hair.

"Hush, you two," Ryou scolded.

They made their way within a near-empty corridor roughly carved from the ground. The air was thick and the pressure heavy, pushing down on them from above as if several tonnes worth of weights had been left on their heads. Demons here were dense enough beings to move around freely under the immense gravity pull, and the tablet they had swallowed neutralised the density of their bodies to match those around them.

Everything seemed to go relatively well for a while, seeing as they weren't disturbed or stopped by passing demons. Unfortunately, when they turned yet another corner in the twisted path, an important-looking demon blocked the corridor.

"What is your business here?"

"It is none of your concern," Seto said slowly and clearly. His eyes flashed in annoyance. "Leave us be and let us pass."

The demon was around Seto's height, which was fairly tall, and he had more powerful, broader shoulders and a scraggly, unshaven look about his humanoid face. He was blonde, with lifeless blue eyes, and looked as if he had been drugged, staggering around.

"I am under orders from Haga-sama and Ryuzaki-sama not to let anyone go any further," he said. "I cannot let you proceed."

"I remember him," Marik whispered. "He's Keith Howard, the vampire we recruited after Haga and Ryuzaki! He disappeared after two months and we couldn't find any trace of him for decades!"

"What's he doing _here_?"

Keith heard Malik's voice and a glint of red tinted his lifeless eyes. His face twisted into an ugly snarl and he bared long, white fangs, eyes glowing the colour of blood. Ryou recoiled, recalling the time he had been attacked by a vampire also, ready to run, but was rooted to the spot. The three Elites instinctively reached for their staves hidden in their belts, ready to defend themselves.

"_You_!" Keith hissed, glaring at the three former demons. "_You caused me to be like this! I'll kill you_!"

He lunged at them, teeth bared, but Ryou stood directly in his path. Marik let out a cry of horror, but it was quickly silenced. Keith was hunched over Ryou, eyes wide and unblinking, breathing ragged. Everyone looked down at his chest, just between the ribs, where Ryou's pale hand held a long, wooden stave, embedded to the hilt.

Keith stumbled back, and Ryou yanked out the stave, eyes hard. With a cry of horror, Keith's body shattered into dust. No one spoke, too shaken by the albino's ruthlessness in killing the vampire. And then Anubis saw it.

"H-His aura . . ." Anubis whispered, clutching Malik's arm, eyes wide with shock. "Look at his aura!"

Malik and Marik blinked in confusion, not able to see anything. But Seto and Ryuuji drew sharp intakes of breath, terror filling their eyes as they stared at Ryou, who just continued to stare at the spot where Keith had stood moments before his death. No one moved. Then, even Malik and Marik saw it.

_For us Chosen, our minds appear to be a blue light and the more powerful we are, the brighter the light is. Human minds are white. We Chosen are blue. A demon's mind is red – for blood, you understand._

Kurama's lesson to Yugi and Jounouchi about life forces, aura colours, rang in their minds. Chosen auras were blue, humans were white and demons were red. Yami, Marik, Malik, Anubis and Ishizu were pale red, pink, because they were former demons, turned humans, with a memory of their demonic pasts.

Seto, Ryou and Ryuuji's auras were the brightest of all the Chosen, because they were the Elites. Someone in tune with the higher, etheric plane of existence would view them as immense beacons of blinding blue. But now, lacing through the blue fire of Ryou's aura was black.

The aura of death.

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"_Fight the urge . . . fight it! Come on, Ryou, you can do it! Fight the feeling!"_

_He could almost taste the sweetness of the blood . . . the thrills of watching his victims squirm and writhe in agony. It was just beyond his reach. If he just let go that tiny fraction of doubt in his mind, in his heart, then he could experience it. The ecstasy of it all . . . to give into the temptation . . . it was all too easy._

"_NO! Fight it! You can't kill! You're a Chosen! THE Chosen!"_

_There would be no more pain, or suffering, for him. He would be able to enjoy himself . . . and Seto . . . Ryuuji . . . he would share this pleasure with them. They, too, would be able to feel the ecstasy and the overwhelming desire being able to kill brought him._

"_Don't think that way! If you do, then the world is lost!"_

_His previously dark vision was penetrated by a bright, blinding silver light. He heard the fluttering of wings, before everything settled down again. He was staring into icy blue eyes and a pale, moonlit face._

_The Angel . . ._

"_The Gods will not allow you to take this road," the Angel told him firmly. "You are much too important to the future of the world to turn to the dark side. Listen to me, Ryou – fight it!"_

_And then an icy feeling flooded through his body, from his outstretched arms, quelling the burning in his veins. The Angel began to dissolve, melding into his body, taking over. A new fire began to fill him, an agonising fire of ice, like millions upon millions of knives coursing through his veins._

"_If you won't fight it, I'll fight it for you."_

--------

Ryuuji felt something stir within him, a glimmer of recognition, as Ryou began to tremble. The albino dropped to his knees, still shaking, and the stave clattered to the floor noisily. He clutched his upper arms in pain and began to convulse violently, voice choked and spluttered.

"It's the Angel!" Marik exclaimed in panic.

"It can't be . . . Kaiba-tachi sealed it away . . ."

Seto was rooted to the spot; he was too shocked at the immense force used to counter a barrier he had created. He could feel the struggle going on within Ryou for dominance of the body. Wings flared out from Ryou's back, disappearing briefly, before reappearing again. It continued like this for a few moments, the albino slipping in and out of control, still trembling. Seeing that the CEO wasn't going to move, Ryuuji dashed forward and threw himself over Ryou, knocking his twitching body flat.

"Don't you dare give in to it, Ryou!" he said in the albino's ear. "Don't!"

"_Let me take control_," the Angel's voice came from Ryou's lips. "_He cannot fight the temptation of darkness alone . . . he will die_."

The struggle inside him was too much and Ryou's body lurched forward, blood spraying from his lips. It ran down from his mouth down his chin and his eyes rolled back into his head, falling into unconsciousness. As soon as he had fallen unconscious, the Angel took over. Ryuuji found his arms latched tightly around a cold, glowing form, and wings brushed against the back of his hands.

"Ryuuji, let go."

_Let go, Chosen_, the Angel said calmly. _I have taken over_.

Ryuuji slowly removed his arms from around the Angel, eyes wide. He stepped back from him, back to where Seto was. Everyone regarded the Angel suspiciously, on their guard, until he folded his wings back, making them vanish. Then he approached them.

"Why did you take over?" Seto demanded.

_Ryou is in no shape to fight the darkness,_ the Angel replied. _It is growing within our body and is taking over his consciousness._

"Darkness?"

_I am not about to harm any of you. The only reason why I have taken over is because I am unaffected by evil. Ryou is not. He can be tempted to defect to the darkness – I cannot._

The inevitable had finally begun to take place. Ryou was gradually being consumed by darkness. It was growing within him. They all realised it, when they saw Ryou's aura. The aura of death and evil had begun to appear within his once-pure one. The way he just killed Keith without a second thought . . . how hard his eyes were as they watched him die . . .

Ryuuji's thoughts were interrupted as a scream broke through the silence.

"YAMI!" Anubis cried in alarm, running towards the sound.

"Anubis, wait!"

Malik and Marik took off after him, Seto following. Ryuuji watched the Angel, wanting to see what he would do.

_Why do you keep looking at me, Chosen?_

"N-Nani?"

_You have been watching me_, the Angel said matter-of-factly. _I have noticed it._

"I don't understand," Ryuuji said quickly. He took off after Seto. "Come on."

The Angel followed, choosing to run rather than fly in order to keep a relatively low profile. It was already strange that there were five people running along a deserted corridor. Adding on someone flying was definitely going to catch the demons' attentions.

--------

Haga's experience as a demon did not go very deep. He was not the most powerful, nor was he the most cunning. But he _did_ have an uncanny ability to convince others that his way of thinking was correct. And that ability was his parasite trait.

If it weren't for this trait, then he would have long ago been killed by Cerberus. The Hound of Hell, as he had named himself, had always had trouble recruiting demons to work for him because he was vicious and bloodthirsty. Normal demons were terrified of him. When Chimera disbanded Haga and Ryuzaki found themselves fleeing for their lives from demons they had once terrorised under Yami and the rest of the Four Kings.

That was, until they accidentally stumbled into Cerberus' realm. The Hound had made them a deal. If Haga would use his parasite abilities to control demons so that they worked for him, then Cerberus would help them become the most powerful demons in the Otherworld. The deal was appealing to the both of them. Ryuzaki was a demon tamer and Haga a parasite, so the two of them worked well in order to gain control over others.

And now . . . the next step to becoming a powerful force in the Otherworld was to destroy the most powerful demonic force in history. The Four Kings of Chimera: Yami, Anubis, Malik and Marik. Even though they had been reincarnated and defected to the Chosen, the Four Kings were still greatly feared throughout the Otherworld. Their infamous cruelty and power was unmatched.

Haga knew this and he was willing to take any measures possible to prove it wrong. In the Otherworld, the key to survival was to destroy those who posed a threat to you. And now, he faced the remaining three of the Four Kings.

"Welcome to the realm of Cerberus," he greeted the former shape shifter, standing outside the door to the torture chamber Yami was being kept in.

"Spare me the pleasantries, Haga," Anubis snarled. "Where's Yami?"

"In here." Anubis was about to yank open the door, but Haga tutted. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. The chamber is cursed. You just heard Yami scream, didn't you? You'll experience the same pain if you enter it."

The albino demon snarled again. Haga knew that, after the defect, Anubis was very vulnerable to threats concerning Yami, and vice versa. Using this, he could get Anubis to do whatever he wanted him to . . . like humiliate himself in front of the whole Otherworld. If that didn't work, Anubis would be driven to enter the torture chamber . . . and eventually end up dead.

"Screw the pain," Anubis hissed.

He wrenched open the door and ran inside.

As he did so, the others arrived. They saw a fleeting glimpse of his white hair and heard the intimidating _thud_ of the doors swinging shut again. Haga cackled insanely as they approached the door.

"He'll regret going in there," Haga crowed. "No one ever comes back out alive from that cursed chamber!"

Malik's eyes widened and he banged on the door with his fists, shouting to the albino frantically for him to get out. This only increased Haga's laughter to deafening levels. Marik rounded on him angrily, followed by Seto, and they backed Haga against the wall of the corridor, glaring at him.

"You'll be sorry you ever crossed us," Marik hissed.

"Dame, Marik!" Seto said, grabbing the blonde's wrist, as he was about to strike. "He has to tell us how to save them!"

"You can't!" Haga laughed. "They're doomed! The chamber will torture them until they go insane and kill themselves!"

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"Yami?!" Anubis shouted into the darkness. "Yami, where are you?!"

He could hear the sounds of a voice choking, hoarse with hours of endless screaming. Even though most of the sound had deteriorated, Anubis could still recognise the deep voice anywhere. He ran towards it blindly, unable to see anything. Dimly, the back of his mind registered someone yelling at him, telling him to get out. But he couldn't. He was so close to reaching Yami . . .

"Yami?" he called.

The sounds drew nearer as he approached. His eyes were adjusting to the darkness and he could just make out the huddled figure of a man, cowering and trembling on the floor. He saw the unmistakable star-shaped haircut, which was completely natural, and knew he had found him.

"YAMI!"

_Chains clinked onto the floor in front of him noisily, drenched with blood. Harsh breathing sounded in his ears as the person behind him brought out a whip, lashing out at the ground, making a huge cracking sound._

Anubis choked back a cry of horror, trying to shield himself from the blow. The whip passed through his back in an icy wave and he felt numb inside. His legs gave way under him and he sat down heavily on the ground. Yami was only a few feet away, still sobbing soundlessly.

"_You've been a bad boy, Anubis. Haven't I told you not to run away?"_

He stiffened, breathing coming sporadically as he recognised the chilly, sickeningly sweet voice. His father . . . the one who had made him steal and sold him off as a pleasure slave when he was eight. He remembered the punishments he had dealt . . . the whips, the lashes, the chains and . . .

"_Bend over, Anubis," his father ordered._

"Iya . . ." he hissed, closing his eyes. "Iya . . ."

_A six-year-old boy bent over, on his hands and knees, while a man towered over him, fucking him roughly. The boy screamed in pain at every thrust, tears coursing down his cheeks, begging the man to stop._

"IYA!"

His eyes shot open, the image vanishing. He tried to stand, but his legs were still too numb to support his weight and he collapsed again, falling forward onto his front. Yami was so close . . . he reached out for the outstretched hand, falling short by several feet.

"I can't give up . . ." he groaned. "Yami . . ."

Slowly, breathing laboured, he dragged himself forward by the hands. Yami's form gradually got closer. He grinned weakly, continuing to drag himself towards Yami. His legs felt like lead weights, holding him back, straining his arms. Sweat fell from his bangs into his eyes, blurring his vision until he blinked them out.

_People screamed. There was fire all around him, burning houses, fences . . . a child ran by, his whole body on fire, screaming in agony. The tear-filled eyes caught sight of him and the child cried out for help, for his mother. His voice echoed and burned into his mind._

"_Kaasan!" he cried. "KAASAN!"_

_A man came over, leering evilly, and poured tar over the child's head. Screaming, the child was further engulfed in flames, the tar seeping into his nose and down his throat, effectively cutting off oxygen. He fell on the ground, crying for help, though no sound came out. The man just laughed and walked away._

"No . . ."

He forced his eyes open, deliberately ignoring the stinging in them as he dragged himself closer to Yami. Finally, he grasped the clammy hand in his own, finally gaining enough strength to pull the motionless body towards him, pulling them into an upright position.

There were multiple scratches all over Yami's face, neck and arms. Some of them were cut so deeply, they were still bleeding. His eyes were half-lidded and lifeless, his lips dry and cracked, muttering incoherently. Anubis brushed back the blonde bangs that stuck to his sweaty forehead.

"Yami," he whispered. "Yami . . . ore da. Anubis da."

"A . . . nu . . . bis . . .?"

"Hai, Yami . . ." Anubis murmured, holding him close. "Ore da."

"Don't close . . . eyes . . . see things . . ."

"I know, I know . . ."

--------

Seto looked at the carcass on the floor with disgust. Haga had had no useful information about how to save Anubis and Yami and Marik had crushed the demon's windpipe in pure anger. The parasite demon was a weak one, with no physical attributes, so he was easily destroyed.

"ANUBIS! YAMI!" Malik shouted, still pounding on the door. "GET OUT!"

"They're not going to hear you, Malik," the Angel said calmly.

"Then we need to find a way in," Seto challenged.

He held the Angel in contempt. There was no way he would forgive the – the _creature_ for taking over Ryou. By doing so, Ryou suffered so much pain. And now he was taking everything so calmly, when Yami and Anubis' lives were in danger. He knew that Ryou had long accepted the fact that the Angel was part of him, but Seto just couldn't find it in himself to feel the same.

_If you just walk in there, you will suffer like they have_, the Angel told him, ice-blue eyes steady. _You cannot just _walk_ into the Chamber of Nightmares. Only someone unaffected by its powers, by fear itself, can enter unharmed._

"Someone meaning _you_," Marik realised, turning to him. "You alone are unaffected by evil – because you _destroy_ it! Then you should be the one going in there! Hurry up! They're in danger!"

_Stand aside. I must revert to my true form in order to walk in there_.

He approached the door, his aura gradually growing brighter and brighter again. The wings flared out behind him, lighting up the dark corridor, creating a misty glow. They all shielded their eyes from the blinding silver, taking a step backwards. Then it all stopped.

The Angel fell down onto one knee, clutching his chest, breathing heavily. His wings drooped and the glow was dim. Ryuuji rushed over, worried, touching his shoulder hesitantly. The Angel glanced sideways at him, managing a weak smile to reassure him, placing a shaking hand over his.

_Daijoubu . . . just . . . a bit too much energy at a time_, he said. It was the first time any of them had ever heard the Angel stutter, even a little. _I'll be all right in a moment, just don't open the door._

"You're bleeding," Ryuuji exclaimed, pointing to the Angel's back.

_It's nothing_, the Angel assured him. _Just some minor side effects of the transformation_.

The blood was seeping out onto the white robes from the base of his neck, under his hair. Ryuuji opened his mouth to say that losing so much blood was _not_ nothing, but the Angel had begun to get to his feet, staggering.

_Marik, Malik,_ he said, _could I trouble the two of you to open the door for me?_

They did so quickly, careful not to get too close to the open doorway. It was pitch black inside. The Angel made his way to the doorway, clutching his chest. When he reached it, he stood up straighter. The blood began to flow quicker as he spread his wings again and Ryuuji couldn't help but worry.

"I'll go with you," he volunteered, grabbing the Angel's arm.

_No, you cannot. You are vulnerable to the effects of this chamber._

"But you're injured. I can't just watch you walk in there!"

_It's because this body belongs to Ryou, isn't it?_

Ryuuji didn't say. The Angel nodded slowly.

_You may come along,_ he said. _I will just need to take precautions to protect you as well. Come along, we must save them._

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End Chapter Eight

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Author's Notes:

Well, this chapter took me long enough! I realised I didn't have the Angel in the last chapter (thank you for reminding me!) and now there will be a sad lacking of Ryou in the next. A sort of . . . punishment for me forgetting one of the most important characters in the fic.

Myself and tsutsuji have started a Seto, Ryou, Bakura, Priest Seth and Thief Bakura group on Yahoo. It's under Yaoi and Shounen-ai, called SetoBakuraRyou. Please feel free to join, it's a discussion board for all people who love SetoRyou or any other combination of the above five characters.

PLEASE REVIEW!

Relinquished


	9. Recuperation

**Tenshi no Kokoro**

Disclaimer: refer to first chapter

Summary: Chimera has been defeated and the Angel has emerged. But now the Angel seeks only to destroy evil. Seto and Ryuuji, aided by a reborn Marik, must overcome it to find their lover. S/R/R, YY/YB, YM/R

Warnings: OOC-ness, Ryou-angst, Yami/Anubis (YnB) fluff

Responses to Reviews and Author's Notes:

**Elle-Fate2x1-2:** You're the only one who reviewed! Ah!! Anyway, thanks for the review and yes, I feel kinda sorry for all of them too.

I have more exams coming up so this may be the last update in, perhaps, two or three weeks? Really sorry about it though, minna, cos I really want to continue it, but studying is essential. 'By Moonlight' will be temporarily discontinued until further notice, but the next chapter is already in progress.

Oh, and sorry for the long wait!

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Chapter Nine: Recuperation

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_How long have we been here? How long has it been since I opened the door? I can't remember . . . I can't think of anything . . . it's too . . ._

Anubis' head tipped forward slightly, he himself growing weaker and weaker. His eyes stung, but he only dared to blink them once or twice, in case he saw the images again. In his arms, Yami was only semi-conscious, eyes half lidded. He was so tired . . .

_I have to bring the both of us back to the door . . . the others are waiting out there for me . . . Yami is waiting for me to save him . . ._

He shifted Yami's position in his arms so that he could half-carry him. Of course, being so weak meant that he could only gather enough strength to drag the two of them towards the door. It was a good thing that his eyes had adjusted to the darkness and he could just make out the doorway from where he was.

"Hold on Yami," he whispered. "I'm gonna get us out of here."

"Anubis . . ."

The silver-haired man hauled himself to his knees laboriously, dragging Yami up with him. He brought one of Yami's arms around his shoulder and kept a firm grip around his waist. Then he began to shuffle forward on his knees, slowly and painfully. The numbness in his body was beginning to fade, giving way to the prickling sensation some called 'pins and needles'.

A bright light entered their line of vision, coming from the doorway. Anubis brought the hand that was gripping Yami's up to shield his eyes, the sudden glow blinding him temporarily. He lost balance because of that and his hold on Yami failed, sending them both crashing onto the ground.

The darkness was dispelling. Yami was lying underneath him, unconscious now, the nightmares of the chamber fading with the light.

"Anubis!" a familiar voice called.

"Otogi?" Anubis croaked, trying to raise his voice. "Over here!"

"They're over there!" Ryuuji called to someone. "Come on!"

The light seemed to be dimmer . . . and the door seemed so far away . . . Anubis reached out for it, but he couldn't reach it. He felt his eyelids grow heavy, though they still stung. His hand dropped onto the ground and he collapsed, a dead weight, onto Yami.

A pair of strong hands lifted him up by the arms and he was hoisted onto someone's back. He could smell Ryuuji's scent . . . and relief washed over him. They were saved.

_Let's go, Chosen,_ the Angel's voice said.

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_He was suffocating. There was something soft and warm, but heavy, over his face. He couldn't breathe . . . couldn't call for help . . . everything seemed to be dark . . ._

_Suddenly, the darkness lifted. A deep, familiar voice spoke to him._

"_Wake up, Yami."_

_The heaviness was draining away and he could breathe again . . ._

"_Wake up Yami."_

"Anubis . . .?"

He could see a hazy figure looming over him. A cool hand rested on his forehead and then ran through his hair gently. A groan escaped his lips as the drowsiness was replaced by a sharp, stabbing pain in his head.

"He's coming to!" Anubis' voice said excitedly.

"Anubis . . .?" Yami croaked, blinking his eyes. For some reason, they stung and watered painfully. "Is that you?"

The room came back into focus and he could make out his lover's features through the blurriness of his eyes. There was a smile over the other's face, as well as an expression of relief.

"Hai, Yami, ore da," Anubis said. "I was so worried about you."

He helped the former Pharaoh up into a sitting position. Yami winced as pain shot through the various cuts and bruises all over his body. Anubis chuckled weakly as he arranged the pillows behind his back to prop him up. They were in the Kaiba Mansion, one of the lower bedrooms. He was lying in a four poster bed and the curtains had been opened to let sunlight come in.

"What happened?"

"We went down to the Otherworld to save you," Anubis told him, sitting himself next to Yami. "You were trapped in the Chamber of Nightmares."

"Oh . . ."

"When we got down there, ran into the Chamber after you. Got a lecture from Kaiba-tachi afterwards . . . hell on earth, I swear . . . you were half conscious, but neither of us could walk. Then Otogi and the Angel came."

"The Angel?" Yami tensed. "He's still here?"

"Yeah." Anubis looked out the window. "He took over when we were in the Otherworld. He saved us both."

Yami lifted his hands up to his face, looking at them. They were bandaged, but not heavily. He winced and touched his cheek gingerly, feeling a sterilised pad taped down there. Anubis grinned at him.

"You messed yourself up quite thoroughly in the chamber. Scratched yourself so deeply and so many times. I was afraid that you weren't ever going to survive the blood loss."

"How did you get out of the Otherworld? Didn't Cerberus or Haga stop you?"

"Marik killed Haga outside the Chamber." Anubis scowled. "Cerberus couldn't care less about the parasite, but we _did_ meet Keith Howard on the way to save you. Bakura took care of him quickly enough but . . . he was succumbing to darkness, so the Angel had to take over."

"How are the two of you now?"

"Well, I was weaker than a kitten for a few days, but that quickly went away . . . the Angel is still in control of the body, but he couldn't heal his wounds entirely. He's in the next room. But you," Anubis glared playfully, "were out for two weeks. Do you know how scared I was dammit?"

"Probably do."

They grinned at each other for a few moments, before Anubis leaned in. Their lips brushed together gently. When the paler demon pulled away, he brushed back one of his blonde bangs with a smile.

"Omae wa ore no taisetsu na hito da."

"Omae mo."

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In the next room, it was much darker. The drapes over the four poster bed were drawn closed and everything was still. There wasn't a single sound in the room. On the bed, behind all the drapes, sat the albino angel.

His chest had been expertly wrapped in bandages, the wings folded behind him so that they were not in the way. Aside from this, the only thing he wore was a set of faded jeans. He had to conceal his powers and aura while in the mansion, since there was no telling what damage he may cause. It also gave him time to recuperate and recover from his wounds.

_/ You can let me back out now /_ Ryou's voice said. The mortal albino, the Angel's host, appeared in a hazy form beside him. _/ I'm perfectly fine /_

_Even if you were perfectly fine, which you are not, I would not let you take control,_ the Angel said matter-of-factly.

_/ Why not? /_ Ryou demanded, sounding angry.

_Because you are still vulnerable to darkness and its manipulation of your emotions. Your love for your partners can be easily used against you and it would prove fatal to the both of us, should you be forced to do anything drastic._

Their argument was cut short, however, when the door opened. Footsteps approached the bed and the drapes were drawn open slightly. Ryuuji's face came through the heavy material. He looked hesitant.

"Isn't it a bit too hot for the drapes?" he asked.

_/ Ryuuji /_ Ryou's form said, drifting over to the game creator. _/ Tell him to let me back in control. He keeps saying that I'd succumb to darkness /_

The game creator smiled at his lover. He wanted, more than anything, to be able to run his fingers through the silvery hair, but he couldn't. The Angel was in control until they had all rested and returned to normal. It was a deal they had agreed on when they arrived back at the mansion.

"Gomen ne, Ryou," he apologised. "You know I can't."

_What are you doing here, Chosen?_

"Well, I was wondering whether or not the two of you would want to go out for a walk or something," Ryuuji admitted. "It gets really cooped up if you don't get out once in a while."

_We're fine_.

_/ No, I think you should go outside /_ Ryou disagreed. _/ Fresh air helps clear the mind and it's good if you want to make a quick recovery /_

Between Ryou's insisting and Ryuuji's expectant look, the Angel gave in. The game creator handed him a shirt, which he slipped on. He then pulled on the shoes that had been left beside the bed. With that done, the Angel followed Ryuuji outside the room.

_/ I'll go see Seto /_ Ryou decided, already floating towards the stairs.

"Even if you can't touch him?" Ryuuji teased.

_/ I'll manage /_ the albino smiled and waved. _/ Enjoy your walk /_

He watched his physical form walk off with Ryuuji, still smiling. He could feel that the Angel had taken to Ryuuji. There was also no sense of insecurity within him, no hint of jealousy. If interacting more with Ryuuji would bring out a more humane side to the Angel, Ryou was willing to let them be.

--------

"Yes, I'm still working Ryou," Seto muttered, before the albino could speak. "I know I've been at this for two hours, but I have to finish."

_/ How did you know I was here? /_

The CEO smirked over the top of his computer screen as the albino's translucent form floated over to the desk.

"You've been coming to me in this form for almost two weeks now. I've learned how to detect you."

Ryou stuck his tongue out at him playfully, earning a string of light laughter from his lover. His hazy form peered at the screen in interest, noting the complex designs and statistics on the screen. Seto leaned back in his desk chair, folding his arms.

_/ A new product for Magic & Wizards? /_ Ryou questioned.

"Ee. This is my latest project. It's a virtual reality headset, like the VR pod I launched near the end of last year, only that this is carry-size."

_/ And you do realise that this will only succeed in children not paying attention in school and on their homework? /_

The CEO's smirk widened.

"As long as it gets me business." Ryou rolled his eyes and floated, cross-legged, above the desk. "I know you said that I should be relaxing after the escape from the Otherworld, but really, Ryou, you know me better than that."

_/ That I do /_ Ryou smiled in a self-suffering way _/ unfortunately /_

"Where's Ryuuji?"

_/ He's out on a walk with mou hitori no boku /_

"Again?"

_/ They've taken a liking to each other, I think /_ Ryou mused quietly. Seto opened his mouth to say something, but Ryou sensed his emotions and smiled reassuringly. _/ No, I'm not jealous. In fact, I think that Ryuuji may be good for him. I know they both feel something for the other /_

"But don't you love Ryuuji?"

_/ Oh yes, I love him deeply, but if he really feels something for mou hitori no boku, then I should let them. It's like how you accepted the fact that I would love both you and Ryuuji equally. This time, though, I think that we don't have to include mou hitori no boku into our unconventional little circle /_

"Because you can feel that they probably share something different to what the three of us used to have," Seto finished, reading Ryou's thoughts. "Because times have changed since we first loved each other. We're moving on and you feel that Ryuuji may possibly love the Angel more than you."

_/ I hate how you read thoughts /_ Ryou mumbled, looking away. He brushed back the tears that had collected in his eyes. _/ But yes, you're right /_

This was one of the times that Seto really wished that he could hold Ryou in his arms and comfort him. But he had agreed that, unless Ryou was emotionally and mentally stable again, the Angel would have control over the body. In this way, Ryou had to take on a separate, translucent form. They couldn't touch him, nor him them, which made it difficult in the comforting process.

"Do you think you can let go?" he asked quietly.

_/ Let go of Ryuuji? /_ the albino sighed. _/ I don't think I ever will. He's – he's more important to me than my life, both of you are. We've been through Hell and back, face death and separation. It's hurting now, and it always will, but I really don't see why I can't just let them do what they want /_

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End Chapter Nine

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Author's Notes:

Sorry I had to cut this off short! I'm in a hurry to finish off my History homework before I have to hand it in tomorrow before school! GOMEN NASAI FOR THE LONG WAIT!

REVIEW!

Relinquished


	10. Diverging Paths

**Tenshi no Kokoro**

Disclaimer: refer to first chapter

Summary: Chimera has been defeated and the Angel has emerged. But now the Angel seeks only to destroy evil. Seto and Ryuuji, aided by a reborn Marik, must overcome it to find their lover. S/R/R, YY/YB, YM/R

Warnings: OOC-ness

Responses to Reviews and Author's Notes:

Chapter ten already? Wow, the chapters just seem to come and go. Not as quickly as Judgement did, but still quickly nevertheless. Ne, minna, have you noticed that I'm getting less and less reviews? ; Maybe people are losing interest, I dunno. I just wish I got more than four reviews . . .

**Chibi Nao-chan:** Hello, Nao-chan! Glad you finally decided to read this fic! It's about time too! Yeah, three-way relationships are hard to manage, really . . . so Angel comes to save the day!

**Andromeda90:** It's okay ; I was just looking for something to gripe about. Glad you liked the chapter though

**Ril:** yes, I love Ryuuji and Angel as well!

**Elle-Fate2x1-2:** Well . . . I've just updated, so you can find out what's happening! It sounds a bit rushed, but I was running dry . . .

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Chapter Ten: Diverging Paths

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The sunlight was very warm. He could feel it on his back as he lay on the grass, resting his head on his arms. He was clad in jeans, with no shirt, and was thankful that the part of the garden he had decided to visit today was free from hindrances such as gardeners or wandering servants with nothing else to do.

He had never taken the time to enjoy the simple pleasures, like feeling the warmth of the sun on his back. It was always either doing what he was told, or doing what he was told, never about resting or relaxing. When he _did_ rest, it was because he had performed his duties and his service was not needed. Even then, he was constantly watching out from the depths of his host's mind.

Now he felt almost – content. He stretched his wings slightly, loosening the muscles in them. He hadn't been flying for a while now.

"I told you you'd enjoy this."

_It's you_.

"Of course it's me. Who'd you expect?"

The grass rustled as Ryuuji sat down on the grass next to him. The game creator was dressed in a red vest and tight, black jeans. He leaned back, balancing his weight on his arms behind him and tilted his face to the sunlight, sighing. Beside him, the Angel lifted his upper torso up so that his arms were folded in front of him and he was balancing on them.

_Don't you have work to do?_

"I finished it." Ryuuji looked at him, grinning. "It's a good thing for summer."

The Angel didn't return the grin, staring down at the grass below him.

_I never really paid attention to nature,_ he admitted. _It's – nice, though._

"Yeah, it is." Ryuuji plucked a nearby flower. He held it out in front of the Angel's face. "Here, for you."

Blinking, the Angel took it from him. The petals were white, soft but they also felt durable and not easy to break. A sturdy, reliable and strong kind of flower. He looked at it for a moment longer, before setting it upright on the grass and running his power through it.

"What are you doing?" Ryuuji asked curiously.

_A flower belongs in the ground, where it can live_, he replied simply. Letting go of the stem, the flower stood upright again, roots embedded into the ground. _It is more beautiful that way_.

"You're different now, compared to when we first saw you."

_Really? I've never noticed._

"You were really cold and ruthless . . . now you're just lying down here, teaching me how to appreciate beauty."

_So now I'm just soft?_

"No, actually." Ryuuji sat back, thinking. "You're still a bit stand-offish, to be blunt, but compared to before, you're much more open. I don't think you've ever really just sat back and watch things pass by, have you?"

_No, I haven't._ The Angel sighed. _There was never really time._

They sat in silence for a few moments.

_I want to save Ryou_.

Ryuuji blinked in confusion, looking beside him. The Angel was sitting cross-legged now, wings folded behind him. His icy eyes were staring at the flower.

"What do you mean?" the game creator asked. "Is Ryou in danger?"

_You could say that._ The delicate brow furrowed in concentration. _Remember, in the Otherworld, how Ryou's aura started showing black?_ Ryuuji nodded hesitantly. _Well, that was because of me. Each time I take over his body, I am depleting his aura, tainting it._

"So – how are you going to stop that? You can't stop the depletion. Seto, Ryou and I know that and we can't really blame you, can we? We've accepted it."

_But we will eventually die._

"Everyone dies," Ryuuji retorted. "We accepted _that_ when we first became Chosen. It's fact. There's nothing to be afraid of."

--------

Midnight came. There was nothing particular about midnight, except that it perhaps suited the mood better. The Angel claimed that the night of the full moon enhanced what powers he had been given.

_/ Are you sure about this? /_ Ryou asked. He hovered between Ryuuji and Seto, looking worried. _/ It's dangerous and requires a lot of power /_

_I made up my mind. A moment's worth of suffering is better than dragging the two of us to our deaths together._ The Angel closed his eyes and took a deep breath. _I invoke the powers of the Gods . . ._

It was like one of those fantasy films. The Angel was one of those termed 'magical beings' and he was standing in a ring of moonlight, reciting words that seemed to burn and echo in their minds. He named each and every God that stood in the Chamber of Judgement, called on their powers.

Ryou felt his head grow heavy and he fell forward, into blackness, as his Angel counterpart continued to recite the names of their Gods. Seto and Ryuuji watched, clenching their teeth worriedly, not daring to speak in case they interrupted something vital to the process.

All too theatrically, everything went still. Nothing happened. Then, there was a tearing sound, like something was being ripped away from its original position. The sound was like a piece of paper being torn in half. The pale body before them grew a new shadow, before Ryou's features seemed to double and then separate, taking on two different, solid forms. One of them had wings.

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"Is it . . . over?" Ryuuji whispered.

"I think so." Seto blinked as Ryou's eyes opened. "That was very quick."

"I-I don't _feel_ any different," the albino said, looking down at his hands. His eyes had returned to their former, dark brown. "Except a bit empty and . . . cold."

_Indeed,_ the Angel agreed, opening his ice-blue eyes. _It is cold. I had assumed that the separation would be painful. I guess it was a misjudgment._

Ryou shivered, rubbing his bare arms. He was wearing a thin, short-sleeved shirt and faded jeans. Seto removed his own coat and wrapped it around his thin shoulders, embracing him tightly. The albino buried his face into the CEO's shoulder, returning the hug. Meanwhile, Ryuuji was watching the Angel.

_A happy ending for the three of you then_, the Angel sighed. _I must return to my duties. The Gods beckon._

"Can't you stay just a while longer?" Ryuuji blurted out. "I mean – what happens if there are side effects that show up later? We can't risk it."

_I can take care of myself_.

"I worry about you."

A soft, ghost of a smile flitted over pale lips. The Angel showed his first sign of mortal mirth tentatively, as if he were afraid to do so. The game creator brushed his fingers through a lock of the silvery hair gently, like he used to with Ryou. When he did so, there was a feeling of completeness.

_You worry too much about little things, Chosen._

Ryuuji took his hand softly and turned to Ryou. The other albino, still wrapped in Seto's coat and arms, returned his gaze with a soft, understanding one. The time had come. He pulled away from Seto and walked over to Ryuuji.

"I want to go with him."

"Wakatta," Ryou said quietly. He was smiling. "I knew it."

"H-How?" the game creator blinked for a moment, before flushing. "Sou ka . . . your empathetic powers. Gomen, I'd almost forgotten."

"Take care, the both of you," Ryou whispered, meeting both pairs of eyes.

"I'll come back, I promise," Ryuuji said firmly. He let go of the Angel's hand to bring Ryou into a tight hug. "I'm coming back so we can fight together. I've still got my stuff here."

_Our bond is still intact, Ryou,_ the Angel added. _We will contact. For now, if this Chosen decides to follow me to the Chamber of Judgement, you will not be able to reach me. _He hugged Ryou awkwardly, hesitantly. _You will always be my other half, omote. Next we meet, it will be to defeat all evil._

--------

_Do you regret choosing to come with me?_

Ryuuji chuckled, grasping the other's cool, slender hand in his. They were standing at the gates to what was known as Heaven. This was where the Angel had come from. He took in the simple elegance and humble beauty of the place, noting that the overwhelming presence was not because the place was lavish, but due to an unseen element that seemed to create that atmosphere.

"Iya," he said.

_Are you certain? It is not too late to turn back now._

"I just feel like I'm meeting someone's parents," Ryuuji admitted sheepishly. "Nervous, a bit worried . . . the usual thing."

_You jest, Ryuuji_, the Angel chided, using his first name. _I am being serious_.

"When are you not?" Ryuuji smiled again. "But no, I have no intention of backing out now. I have so many questions to ask. Like why _I_ became a Chosen and why I'm able to stand here today."

_Is that all?_

Ryuuji detected a hint of curiosity in the Angel's normally placid tone. He grinned.

"Well . . . no, not really." He squeezed the hand in his slightly. "I'm curious as to where you come from. Mortals like me are always curious and you're just so fascinating. I'm not sure where my feelings stand at the moment, but I know I am drawn to you."

_As am I_, the Angel replied.

The gates opened to admit them. Ryuuji swallowed nervously, clutching at the hand in his. The Angel remained calm, his eyes fixed ahead and his back straight. Purity enveloped them in silvery brilliance and Ryuuji had to shield his eyes. A warm, safe feeling settled in his heart, placing a blanket of security around his form.

_Home . . ._

--------

"They've gone through the gates."

Seto looked up from a file he was reading, seeing his lover standing at the window. The glass was more than five times his height, from the floor of the room to the high ceiling, and Ryou was dwarfed by it. The heavy curtains had been pulled aside to let the moonlight flow inside. Ryou stood within the moonlight, his once-more dark eyes staring into nothing. The light cast his shadow across the great expanse of the room, illuminating his pale features.

"Here, koi," the CEO said, putting his file aside. Ryou went to him. "They'll be fine and you know it."

"Un," Ryou whispered, burying his face in Seto's chest.

"You want to cry and you should," Seto murmured back, holding him tightly against his chest. "No one can be strong forever. You helped me see that."

The half-albino (A/N: yes, will refer to him as half-albino, cos he isn't _really_ an albino) looked up. He smiled and shook his head.

"Iie," he said. "I don't need to cry because, essentially, the one Ryuuji chose is still me. Just another form, in another place. In the beginning, the Gods made things so that a single, whole soul was divided into two parts. These two parts are known as each other's soul mates. Until now, I was not sure who was my soul mate – you or Ryuuji – because you both mean the world to me. But now . . . I know. Mou hitori no boku is Ryuuji's soul mate and I am yours."

The CEO leaned down to kiss him softly. He returned it gladly, hands clutching the taller teen's shirt. After a while, they pulled apart reluctantly and Ryou sighed. He rested his head on his lover's chest, nuzzling him affectionately.

"It seems selfish to be glad that you're all mine," Seto chuckled quietly. "But I am. And how did you know about Ryuuji and – your other half?"

"I thought it was obvious, Seto," Ryou replied, raising an eyebrow at him.

"For you, maybe, koi," the CEO said, kissing him on the forehead. "You're an empath. You can feel it long before they can. I can only read their minds, so I know only when _they_ do."

Ryou laughed softly and glanced up at him from under his fringe.

"I hope you're not reading my mind now."

_/ I never thought you'd be one for such thoughts, koi /_ Seto told him wickedly.

"Mm . . . I'm not," Ryou replied. He turned around slightly so that he could loop his arms around Seto's neck. "You're just influencing me."

--------

Yami and Anubis made their way to the kitchen the next morning, yawning and rubbing sleep from their eyes. Seto and Ryou were already there, the former dressed in a T-shirt and jeans while the other was in an oversized top and shorts. The two former demons blinked for a while.

"Uh . . . ohayou," Anubis slurred, still only half awake.

"Where's Otogi?" Yami asked.

The two of them had been – ahem, _occupied_ – while the separation had taken place, so neither of them knew about Ryuuji's decision to leave. Seto kissed his lover on the forehead briefly before explaining to the other two.

"He left with the Angel," he said. "Last night, when you two were screwing like wild rabbits in heat, the Angel performed a separation ceremony. Ryuuji made the decision to leave with him afterwards."

"So . . . he's never coming back?"

"Iya, he'll be back," Ryou corrected. "They just need some time to . . . get to know their significant other. Ryuuji's decision was really spur of the moment and he needs time to get off his impulsive thinking."

"So you guys aren't together anymore?"

"Yes and no."

Anubis blinked.

"Now you've lost me."

"He and the Angel are each other's significant other," Ryou explained. "Since the Angel is essentially part of _me_, while he is with the Angel, Ryuuji is also with me."

"It's a twisted rectangular sort of relationship we will never understand, Anubis," Yami said, wisely not bothering to make sense of what was going on. He looked at Ryou's attire with a raised eyebrow. "You guys finally got around to getting laid?"

Ryou blushed and dropped the butter knife he was holding. He and Seto both ducked down to pick it up, the CEO hitting his head on the table as they straightened. Anubis and Yami snickered as Ryou fussed over Seto's 'injury', but held it back as the two turned and glared at them.

"That's none of your business, Yami," Seto snarled.

"It's true then," Anubis said, nodding his head sagely. "Ah yes, my little reincarnate is very, very appealing in that shirt . . ."

Yami growled angrily as Ryou blushed deeper. The former pharaoh took the newspaper lying on the table, rolled it up, and proceeded to whack his lover on the head with it. Anubis yelped and grabbed it from him, kissing him quickly. Seto and Ryou rolled their eyes as they kissed long . . .

"All right, knock it off you two," Seto said briskly, grabbing the newspaper and cutting between the two of them. "You have to go to work."

"I'm still sick," Yami said immediately.

"You are not," Ryou shot back.

"No, but nobody _else_ knows that," Yami said, winking.

_Alert, alert. Sector A-15 under attack. Repeat, sector A-15 under attack._

Yami and Anubis watched as Ryou ran upstairs and came down, two minutes later, completely dressed, grabbing his backpack by the door and swinging it onto his back. Seto was already there, waiting, his own briefcase in hand. They waved back to the former demons, yelling for them to get to work, before roaring off on their motorcycles. Anubis and Yami blinked at each other.

"Did you just see what happened?"

"They – ran out the door?"

"Maybe we should just go to work. Grab breakfast on the way."

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_/ It's a salamander-type /_ Ryou said, glancing down briefly at his computer screen. _/ It's attacking children in the area. There haven't been many serious injuries so far and most of the crowd has dispersed /_

_ Is it recruited by Chimera? _

_/ There's no information on that /_ Ryou gripped the handlebars tightly. _/ But they caused mou hitori no boku, Yami and Anubis so much pain. We have to destroy all demons /_

Seto nodded. They had all suffered so much at the hands of the Otherworld. It was time for their payback. But still . . . he glanced over at Ryou, pained. The other took things so seriously. He had been damaged the most over these past few months, suffering separation, self-mutilation and infrequent bouts of insecurity.

_/ I'm all right /_ Ryou told him _/ just a little worked up about revenge /_

_ I hope that's all you're worked up about _

_/ Of course it is /_

Still, revenge was not a good thing to be working for. If the driving force behind Ryou's enthusiasm was the need for revenge, then it would eventually break him. He would have to keep a close eye on the half-albino.

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End Chapter Ten

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Author's Notes:

Uh . . . I'm losing ideas for this. I need more time to think before I update again. Harem will be updated next, since the next chapter is already in progress.

Did you enjoy that people?

REVIEW!

Relinquished


	11. Epilogue and Sequel

**Tenshi no Kokoro**

Disclaimer: refer to first chapter

Summary: Chimera has been defeated and the Angel has emerged. But now the Angel seeks only to destroy evil. Seto and Ryuuji, aided by a reborn Marik, must overcome it to find their lover. S/R/R, YY/YB, YM/R

Warnings: OOC-ness

Author's Notes: GOMEN! I neglected this fic, even when all it needed was an epilogue. This chapter is super-short, so I can get on with writing its sequel! New characters are going to be introduced to replace our YYH boys and details about the sequel are below.

Once again, sorry!

000

Chapter Ten: Epilogue

000

_Everywhere he looked, there were scattered pieces of flesh and blood ran freely. Jeers came from the crowd as a torn and battered man rose up from the midst of the flesh and blood, staggering to his feet. The face was hidden, but he got the feeling that he knew this man._

"_Are you prepared to die, Chosen?"_

_The man stood a little straighter, setting his shoulders back defiantly._

"_I am not afraid of you."_

_A blast later, all that was left of him was blood scattered over the place he had once stood._

000

Mokuba screamed as he sat up, sweating, in bed. He reached up a trembling hand to wipe the sweat away, before throwing off the covers and walking towards the door. He needed to see his older brother. This was the third time in a row he had had the same dream and, though the first two times he hadn't thought it anything but a nightmare, three times was just too uncanny.

"Mokuba? Are you all right?"

He looked up into Ryou's worried eyes. The elder could tell that he was terrified and shaken up. Mokuba hugged himself tightly and shook his head.

"I had a dream," he whispered. "About someone dying. There was blood everywhere and the guy was called 'Chosen'."

Ryou reached out and drew the boy closer to him. Mokuba leaned against the teen, still shaking, but feeling the calming effect of the other's touch almost immediately. He relaxed a little. Ryou could fix things and this would be no different.

"How many times have you had this dream?"

"This is the third time."

"Exactly the same?"

"Yeah."

The arms tightened around him. Mokuba could feel Ryou's heart speed up and knew that the adrenaline was working inside his body as he delved into thought.

"Mokuba . . . come with me to see your brother. We might have discovered your hidden powers."

000

A few hours later, Mokuba removed the VR headset from his head. Ryou and Seto looked at him expectantly, the latter's hands clenched together in front of him. He looked down at the headset for a moment, before looking up again.

"There was a cauldron," he told them slowly. "I saw things inside it. Lots of things. And they would really happen in front of me!"

Ryou broke out into a grin and laughed in relief. He prised Seto's hands apart and laughed again.

"Mokuba, congratulations!" he said. "You're a seer."

The young boy clapped his hands together and hugged his older brother, who hugged him back. But the CEO's mind was already on something else. Now that his brother had discovered his powers, they needed to find him a trainer. He didn't want to entrust his brother to anyone, but he was afraid of bias on his part if he took up the responsibility for himself.

There was also Mokuba's dream to think about. Having had it three times in a row, it was sure to be a premonition. Someone – one of them, most likely – was in mortal danger. They had to work out who it was before it happened.

"We have time, Seto," Ryou said reassuringly.

"I know, but how much time? We can't just sit around doing nothing. New Chimera is still on the attack and the others haven't returned. There's only so much the two of us can do."

"Three of us," his lover corrected. Then an impish smirk crossed his lips. "And I never really expected the day you would openly admit we needed to be a team."

"Shut up," Seto mumbled. He glanced at the blank screen of the supercomputer. "With Kurama, Hiei and Ryuuji gone, it's up to the two of us to train Mokuba."

As the last words left his lips, the screen flickered to life. The now-familiar black vortex filled up the whole screen, announcing the presence of their leader. Seto and Ryou got to their feet and faced the screen as a voice echoed from it.

_I have taken this matter into consideration already_.

"And what do you propose, Gaea-sama?" Ryou asked, not at all surprised that the mysterious leader had already found out about their situation.

_There is a powerful seer in Tokyo, one who is more than capable of training the youngling here. He and his partner are ranked unofficially as Elites and are awaiting orders as we speak._

"That takes care of reinforcements, Seto," Ryou said, nodding to his lover.

_And there is one more issue._ The two Elites, plus the new trainee, snapped back to attention. _The Otherworld has gathered an alarmingly large number of its strongest fighters to hold a tournament of sorts. The New Chimera is putting in all their strongest forces to participate and the winner will be granted whatever they wish for._

"That means . . ."

". . . if New Chimera wins . . ."

". . . the Human Realm will be doomed," Mokuba finished, already guessing what was going on. "But _anything_ they wish for? How can that happen?"

_TC is sending in their own participating teams_, Gaea explained. _Permission has been granted for this tournament to take place. I am contacting you now to tell you that, as soon as Otogi rejoins you and the new agents arrive, you will be taken to the location of the tournament. You have a month to prepare._

The screen went blank as suddenly as it had come to life. Ryou and Seto stood facing it still, digesting the information. They had a month to prepare for some sort of Otherworldly tournament that consisted of high stakes and horrible risks. Meanwhile, they were short three members and had just discovered a new trainee, as well as received news that they were about to be joined by two unfamiliar agents.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Mokuba wondered.

000

Seishun Station was almost empty, with the exception of a few stragglers hoping to catch the late train out of town for the weekend. Two young men stood next to each other, both holding black bags and wearing casual clothing one would usually see on people who were planning on playing light sport. The shorter one, who only reached short of his companion's ear, smiled amiably.

"A tournament . . . this is going to be interesting."

"Aa," his companion made a non-committal grunt.

As the train came into view, the first speaker's smile grew slightly predatory.

"How long do you think it will take us to become true Elites, Tezuka?"

The one called Tezuka narrowed his eyes behind thin-framed spectacles, shouldering his bag slightly higher as the train pulled in.

"As soon as we prove we can defeat the current Elites," he said. His dark eyes glanced at his partner from the corner of his eye. "This isn't the time for games."

"Make or break us, ne?"

"Your tendency to play at your opponent's strength won't work here, Fuji."

They boarded the train, finding themselves seats by the doorway. Fuji continued to smile unaffectedly, tilting his head to rest on the glass pane of the window. Next to him, Tezuka folded his arms over his chest and looked out the window also. The scenery moved quickly by as they approached Domino.

"We can't be careless."

000

_Dark, ocean-coloured eyes glinted with determination as they met the pale blue of his opponent's. The unearthly glimmer in those eyes was enough to send a chill through the spines of all who were present in the stadium. The temperature dropped dramatically as a slender, pale hand rose._

"_I won't lose to you."_

_Pale hair was brushed back as his opponent readied himself for combat._

"_We'll see."_

000

**End**

000

000

The Sequel

000

_The Covenant of the Prodigy_

The Otherworldly inhabitants have called all attacks on hold as the Dark Tournament begins. Entering this tournament is an assortment of demons and Otherworldly creatures, all of which the Chosen will have to defeat in order to win.

There is more at stake than it seems. Two new members have replaced Kurama and Hiei in their team. They are powerful Chosen who will stop at nothing to do what the other agents could not do – defeat and overthrow the Elites. Seto, Ryou and Ryuuji are now faced with not only enemies, but the fierce competitiveness of their new team mates.

In the final instalment of the 'Judgement' series, the secrets of the mysterious Gaea are revealed and the Gods call their challenge to the Chosen . . .

Coming soon: _The Covenant of the Prodigy_

000

Author's Notes:

I decided to wrap things up for this fic, because I was losing interest in its storyline. I'm sorry it took so long to update! I was watching Prince of Tennis and kind of . . . forgot XD. Gomen, gomen

Um, since Kurama and Hiei have basically served their purpose in the series, they won't be appearing in the sequel until the end – I think. The new characters I have introduced are Tezuka Kunimitsu and Fuji Syusuke from Prince of Tennis, my new obsession. The plotline of the Dark Tournament belongs to Yu-Yu Hakusho, because I was watching it this afternoon XD

I think Mokuba may have a bigger part in the sequel, but as my mind is working out the general plotline, it seems that Seto, Ryou and Ryuuji will have to deal with the spotlight being taken from them by Tezuka and Fuji. After this next instalment is finished, the whole 'Judgement' series is done!

Originally, this was meant to be a quartet, but I guess a trilogy won't hurt.

REVIEW PLEASE! AND I'M SORRY FOR NOT UPATING SOONER!

Relinquished


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